
Class _iiX_: \._ 



Book.. 



^t 



Gop}iightN° 



COPVRIGHT DEPOSIT 




CHAS. F. REITZEL. 



ROBERT WGODKNOW'S 



DIFFICULTIES 
IN FINDING A 



CHURCH HOME. 



-By- 
CHAS. F. REITZEL. 



1 ' Prove all things; holdfast that which is good. ' '- 
i Thess. 5 : 21. 



SECOND EDITION— REVISED AND ENLARGED. 
(Sever th Thousand.) 



Harrisburg, Pa. : 

CentralJPrinting and Publishing House, 

Churches of God. 

1903. 



■p 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Received 

JAN 5 1904 

Copyright Entry 

CLASS a- XXc. No, 

7 3 oj U. $ 

COPY B 



i d n - 



Copyrighted, 1903. 

—By— 

CHAS. F. REITZEL, 

Mt. Joy, Pa. 



INTRODUCTION. 
By C. H. Forney, D. D. 

The author of this book is favorably known as a 
pious, devoted and earnest minister, of methodical and 
studious habits, a diligent searcher after truth, whose 
chief weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the 
word of God. Just as a Christian man knows God in 
his own experience, so the author of these pages speaks 
out of his personal experience as a student of God's 
word. The spontaneous religious beliefs of men in 
the ruder ages rest on what they have felt and known 
of the presence and power of the supernatural in and 
about them, so our young brother's faith rests on the 
testimony of God in his word. This fact is forcibly 
evinced all through this book. 

And yet there are two other appropriate reflections 
in order here. The one is, that as demonstrative proof 
is not expected as to many well-founded beliefs of the 
world, so it is not peculiar that positions taken on 
questions discussed in this book are open to a variety 
of objections which are difficult to answer. This is in 
a measure due to a misleading tendency in modern 
thought to set up an unreasonable standard of proof 
as necessary for active belief. But the rigid adherence 
to the inspired testimony throughout this book corrects 
this tendency and brings the reader to face a "thus 
saith the Lord" on every point. 

The other thought is, that there is no more inspiring 
reflection that can animate an upright and conscien- 



4 Introduction 

tious minister in the fulfilment of a great mission than 
the consideration that he is in a sense delegated of 
God to the work he is doing, and that he must one day 
appear before him to give an account of his work. 
Such an inspiration pervades this book. It is the au- 
thor's burden, so that his words burn as with sacred fire. 

The style of the book is colloquial, and is throughout 
natural and fascinating. The writer has a clear, 
strong grip of his characters. As one reads along its 
pregnant pages he feels himself in the presence of two 
character's admirably described in their respective 
names. This book evidently was burned into the au- 
thor's heart by a supernatural fire. The author is a 
Bible student. He leads his inquiring friend not to the 
intricate logical formulas of Whately, or Hamilton, or 
Aristotle ; but invariably to the more sure word of the 
Lord. No one can err in taking up this book for 
prayerful, conscientious study. It can be earnestly 
commended to all who are inquiring for the old paths 
and who seek for the good way that they may walk 
therein, and who have conscientious scruples against re- 
moving the ancient landmarks which the fathers have 
set. For its clearness of thought, its perspicuity of ex- 
pression and for its prevailing scripturalism it deserves 
high praise. 

The Church Advocate Office, 
Harrisburg, Pa. 



CHAPTER I. 

"This is none other but the house of God. * * And he called the 
name of that place Bethel." — Gen. 28:17, 19. 

ONE evening while Pastor Lovetruth, of Ism- 
ville, was sitting in his study, meditating 
upon his w r ork of the day, a sharp ring of 
the door bell was heard, as if the caller had some 
matter of unusual importance. In answering the 
call he found at the door a neatly dressed young man 
of some marks of intelligence. The minister's first 
thought was that the young man was contemplating 
matrimony and was in search of some one to tie the 
nuptial knot. The thought is pardonable on the part 
of Pastor Lovetruth. Ministers are only human. 
After the usual words of greeting the young man was 
invited in and taken to the sitting room. 

"You do not know T me, I presume," the stranger 
said, as he took a seat and leisurely laid his hat by the 
side of the chair. 

"No, I do not," replied Pastor Lovetruth. ''How- 
ever, I am always ready to form new acquaintances. 
May I inquire your name?" 

"Robert Woodknow is what they call me. I am an 
employe of the Union Iron Works of this place. I 
am a stranger here, having been in your town but a 
little more than two months. I am trying to live a 
Christian life and find that the influences about public 
works are distinctively bad, which makes the effort 
very difficult. I feel that I need help." 



6 Robert Woodkturufs Difficulties 

"In what respect do you feel the need of help ?" in- 
quired Pastor Lovetruth. 

"I feel I ought to have a church home. I was al- 
ways taught to go to church and Sunday-school, and 
now since away from home, and among strangers, I 
feel the need of these influences more than ever. But 
I cannot satisfy myself what church I ought to join/' 

"I admire your spirit, Mr. Woodknow, very much." 

"Don't call me Mr. Woodknow/' retorted Pastor 
Lovetruth's visitor; "just call me Robert; it will seem 
more home-like." 

"If it is no offense, I will do so. And your desire in 
seeking a church home is a most noble one. After 
Paul was converted he went to Jerusalem and joined 
himself to the disciples of the Jerusalem church. A 
religious life independent of the church has been com- 
pared to buying a ticket for Chicago and then riding on 
the platform. It would be more pleasant for the pas- 
senger holding the ticket to go inside." 

"I should think so," said Robert. "For myself," he 
added, "I have looked upon my present experience as 
similar to that of the fruit tree by the roadside. It 
is the property of everybody and nobody. You can 
never pass it but what its branches are literally filled 
with bats, clubs and palings. Every boy in the com- 
munity feels free to do as he pleases with it. But how 
great the care of the trees in the orchard." 

"What an apt illustration; Robert," added Pastor 
Lovetruth. "I can find use for your figure some time 
in a sermon. I shall remember it." 

"Thank you. But what church am I to join ? They 



in Finding a Church Home 7 

all claim to be right, yet each seemingly, is going in a 
different direction. I have tried ever since here to de- 
cide which church to join, but for the life of me I can- 
not. Being somewhat impressed with the Bethel 
church, I felt that I should like to know more about it. 
I am more or less acquainted with the teachings of the 
other churches in this place." 

"Excuse me, Robert/' retorted Pastor Lovetruth, 
just a little agitated at Robert's one remark; "if you 
are seeking information about the Bethel church you 
must go elsewhere for it. I know of no such church." 

That was a revelation to Robert Woodknow of a 
most mysterious type. He thought a moment, but the 
words of the minister only grew more mysterious. 
Finally he said, "That's strange, I don't understand 
you. Are you not the minister of the Bethel church 
over on Elm street ?" 

"No, Robert, I am not." 

"The people so inform me. If I mistake not I saw 
the word Bethel on the church in which I heard you 
preach the few times I attended your services." 

"That might all be. You will find the word Bethel 
on nearly all our houses of worship." 

"Why is it, then, that you say you are not the Bethel 
minister? Some of your members speak of you as 
such. Are not Mr. Littleknow and Mr. Seldomthink 
members of your church? Mr. Littleknow works with 
me in the shops." 

"Yes, both are members. Mr. Littleknow is one of 
my elders. But it is not a rare thing for persons either 
by word or deed to misrepresent the body of Christ. 
Do you remember of ever reading (I think it is in the 



8 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

latter part of the seventeenth chapter of Matthew) how 
Peter misrepresented his Master to the collector at 
Capernaum in the matter of paying tribute for the 
maintenance of the Temple services ?" 

"No, I do not; how was it?" 

"Peter told the collector that the Master paid tribute. 
He forgot that Jesus was the Son of God, a thing he 
had confessed only a short time before, and how, that 
since the Temple was the Father's house, that like the 
children of the kings of the earth who pay no tribute 
to their father, it would be absurd for Jesus to pay 
tribute for the use of the Temple." 

But such a digression could not divert Robert's 
thoughts from Pastor Lovetruth's strange remarks. 

"If you are not pastor of the Bethel church, what 
then ?" queried Robert. 

"I am pastor of the 'church of God/ You are not the 
only person who has asked for an explanation of this 
matter. The two names have confused many. Even 
my own people are not clear on the subject, as shown 
by what you said about my elder, Mr. Littleknow." 

Robert confessed that Pastor Lovetruth's use of the 
two terms puzzled him, and asked for a still further 
explanation. 

"It is this way, Robert; we apply the name Bethel 
to the house of worship and the name 'church of God' 
to the people who worship in it. Just as you would 
speak of a home and family as two. I think I can 
make this clear to your mind if you will take my Bible 
for a moment." 

Robert knew what was coming. He took the Book 



in Finding a Church Home 9 

hesitatingly, as though he feared he might show some 
ignorance of its contents in not being able to turn to 
the references promptly. 

"We will soon see/' said Pastor Lovetruth, "whether 
the church is a living, spiritual body of men, or a dead, 
inanimate structure of wood, brick or stone. Sup- 
pose, Robert, you turn to Acts the 14th chapter and 
27th verse and tell me, in your own words, what is 
said of the church there." 

He turned to the place, and said, "The church was 
'gathered together/ " 

"Very well. Now, could that mean the building or 
the people?" 

"The people, of course." 

"The church, then, is the people. They don't gather 
buildings together. They build them together. Jeru- 
salem, it is said, was builded as a city that was compact 
together. But suppose you get Acts 20:28 and see 
what was done with the church there." 

"The church was fed." 

"Now, what did they feed, the people or the build- 
ing?" 

"Why, the people. A fool would know that." 

"Not too hasty, Robert; you might make the large 
majority of Christendom fools, as few religious bodies 
discriminate between the people of God and the house 
of God. But, once more, get Matthew 18:17. What 
is the action there ?" 

"They 'tell the church/ " 

"Now, what did they tell, the people or the build- 
ins?" 



€0 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

"The people, as before." 

"Then, Robert, you have gathering, feeding, telling, 
all of which ought to make it clear to your mind that 
the word church, as used in the Scriptures, always re- 
fers to the people of God and never to the house of 
God. Furthermore, Robert, at a number of places* it 
can be found where the church is spoken of as being 
inside of houses, which also goes to show that the 
church is one thing, and the house in which the church 
meets quite another. " 

"But why do you use the name 'Bethel?' " inquired 
Robert. 

"That is easily answered. If you will turn to the 
book of Genesis at the 28th chapter you will find that 
Jacob said of the place in which he had the vision of 
the ladder: 'Surely the Lord is in this place. This is 
none other but the house of God * * * And he called 
the name of that place Bethel/ Now, Robert, what 
is a Bethel ?" 

"None other but a house of God, I presume, accord- 
ing to Jacob's statement." 

"Now, then, if Bethel is none other but the house 
■of God I have no right whatever to apply it to any- 
thing else; no right to make Bethel mean both the 
house of God and the people of God. So when I 
speak of a Bethel I can speak of only the house of 
God and must never apply it to the people of God. If 
some one should ask me what the White House at 
Washington is I could very consistently say, It is none 
other but the house of the President. If I attempted 

*Acts 12:5, 12; Col. 4:15; Rom. 16:5; I. Cor. 16:19. 



in Finding a Church Home n 

to widen its meaning and should call the president's 
family by the name of the house I would make a most 
ludicrous blunder. Roosevelt is the name of the 
President and his family and White House the name 
of the building in which the Roosevelt family reside. 
It that not clear enough ?" 

"I think I see it now." 

"It is provokingly amusing, Robert, to see how 
ignorantly people speak of these things, even some who 
ought to be better informed. It is not a rare thing to 
find in the local items of the daily and weekly papers 
items such as, The church of God received a coat of 
paint recently, which zvas much admired; or The 
church of God was burned dozen last night, or The 
church of God zvas damaged by the recent heavy storm. 
Now, wouldn't it be a horrible sight to see the people 
of God walking about daubed with a coat of paint, or 
to see them burned as in the Dark Ages. They don't 
mean the church of God at all. It was a Bethel that 
was painted, a Bethel that was burned, a Bethel that 
was damaged by the storm. When the Pennsylvania 
State Capitol was burned in 1897 they didn't say the 
State Legislature was burned. On the other hand, 
they are apt to call the people of God by the name of 
the house of God. For instance, they say, The Bethel 
church picnicked last zveek and had an enjoyable time ; 
or, The Bethel church decided to begin a protracted 
vi ee ting next Sunday. Just think of a large church 
building going off on a picnic excursion ! or a building 
making up its mind to hold a protracted meeting. It 
was the church that picnicked, and the church that de- 
cided to hold a series of meetings." 



12 Robert Woodknovfs Difficulties 

"Then every house of worship you call a Bethel 
church ?" 

"No, not a Bethel church, only a Bethel. To say 
Bethel church would be equivalent to saying, house of 
God church, for Bethel means house of God. Or you 
might with the same propriety speak of a school build- 
ing as a school-house school. Yet if the buildings 
dedicated to God for his worship are churches, then 
they are churches of God.''' 

"How clear it is," said Robert, "when a person once 
fully understands it." 

"Yes," replied Pastor Lovetruth, "if only more 
would make this matter a subject of careful study. I 
shall never forget the day when my mind was changed 
on these things. It was some years ago. I was listen- 
ing to a sermon by Mr. Dauntless. It was a power- 
ful exposition of the church ; her origin, her name, her 
mission, and her future glory. I shall never forget it. 
Incidentally he said, 'It impresses me that some of the 
churches are grossly inconsistent in their severe de- 
nunciations of the Roman Catholics because they deify 
the Virgin Mary and make the Apostle Peter the vice- 
gerent of Jesus Christ.'' He then grew eloquent, as 
he continued, 'If Jesus should come into one of our 
large cities some Sunday morning and seek for a house 
of his Father's in which to worship, what would be 
the result ? I fancy I see him as he enters the city. He 
walks up to a beautiful church building, expecting it 
to be his Father's house, but is suddenly and painfully 
disappointed to find it St. Peter's, so marked on the 
corner-stone. He starts off for another street. In the 



in Finding a Church Home 13 

distance is another church building. Says he within 
himself, "Surely this is my Father's house." But how 
keen again the disappointment to find on a tablet of 
marble over the main entrance, "St. Paul's/' He goes 
in a different direction. Several squares before him 
rises the spire of a building which fairly kisses the sky. 
The thought comes to his mind. What devotion ! What 
sacrifice ! What a grand and full expression of love 
for my Father ! Surely all this could be for none less 
worthy than He. But alas ! he finds that cathedral- 
like structure built to the memory of "St. John/' He 
travels till night-fall, but finds not one house built in 
the name of his Father. The creature is magnified 
more than the Creator. The childen are honored more 
than the parent. Foot-sore and tired he turns from 
the great metropolis. A tear drops from his cheek as 
he says, "The strength of the hills is my Father's/' 
And in the twilight he goes to the mountain to pray. 
On his way to the mountain he sees before him a 
small, unpretentious, frame structure built on a little 
plot of ground a short distance in from the roadside. 
In the homely little building were gathered the little 
flock of the Lord's people of that community. They 
were singing, "I'm the child of a King." As Jesus ar- 
rived at the door he heard, 

A tent or a cottage, why should I care, 
They're building a palace for me over there ; 
Though exiled from home, yet still I may sing, 
All glory to God, I'm the child of a King. 

A glance above the door of that eye which never 
slumbers or sleeps, revealed a tablet of wood on which 
was painted, in faded black letters, the word Bethel. 



14 Robert Woodknozris Difficulties 

"House of God," said Jesus, as he interpreted the mean- 
ing of the word Bethel. He went in and worshiped 
with his disciples who had met in the house of their 
Father. The hearts of the worshipers strangely burned 
within them, though none knew that the visitor was 
the King eternal/ " 

"No wonder, Mr. Lovetruth," said Robert, "that you 
never torgot those words. Such a burning picture is 
enough to put any one to thinking." 

"And, Robert, it is not overdrawn, either. If we 
could look into the heart of Jesus and read his feelings 
we would see just such a picture as that described by 
Mr. Dauntless. Imagine the three thousand believers 
of Pentecost building houses of worship in different 
parts of Jerusalem and naming them after the Apostles. 
It would have been but little less than idolatry. It is no 
better now. Peter once suggested building taber- 
nacles* for Moses and Elias, but the Lord never al- 
lowed it to get beyond a suggestion." 

But Robert Woodknow has another query for Pastor 
Lovetruth. Says he, "But what right have you people 
to call yourselves the 'church of God?' Is not every 
church a church of God ?" 

"We do not call ourselves the 'church of God;' the 
Lord does that. All Christians are alike entitled to 
the name. We have no copyright on it. We accept it 
as our privilege; other believers have the same right.''* 

"But isn't it presumption to assume such liberty?" 

"I think not. When Jesus was offered to you as 
your Savior from sin, was it presumption on your part 

*Luke 9:33. 



in Finding a Church Home 15 

in accepting him, when so many refused to take the 
same liberty ?" 

"Certainly not. I dare not be governed in my re- 
ligious liberties by what others do and do not do. Must 
I go to hell because some will not go to heaven?" 

"Well, then, if you accept the Lord for such reasons, 
why should I hesitate to accept his name for the same 
reasons? Ethnologically I call myself a Caucasian, 
because I am such; other white men have the same 
privilege. But if they choose to call themselves some- 
thing else, and persist in it, it is no fault of mine. But 
by what name would you call the church, Robert ?" 

"I h-a-r-d-1-y know/' he said, with just a little stam- 
mer in his speech. "There are so many names." 

"But do you know, Robert. Does not the church 
belong to God? Whose church, then, is it?" 

"The church of God, I guess." 

"No guess about it. It is God's church and you 
can not make anything else out of it. We are like the 
Prodigal. In his family relation he asked to be a 
hired servant, which w T as the same as being another 
man's son, but in his prayer he was fully orthodox, for 
he said 'Father,' etc., which was an admission of his 
sonship. One place he used a name that denied his 
sonship, but in prayer a name that emphasized it. And 
do we not say 'Abba, Father' over and over again in 
our devotions, which is only another way of confess- 
ing that we are God's children. But when we speak 
of the family, the church, we use names which make 
us the children of Wesley, Calvin, Luther, Otterbein 
and others. If we speak of God as our Father in 
prayer we ought also to speak of him as our Father in 



i6 Robert Woodknou/s Difficulties 

relation to the family, the church. If he is the head of 
the individual he is also the head of the family, the 
church." 

Just then Mr. Lovetruth's little daughter, Alia, a 
tot of no more than three summers, entered the room. 
"Papa, kiss baby good-night," she said as she ran into 
the minister's arms. As she left Robert said, 

"Is it so late? I'm sorry I have taken so much of 
your valuable time. These few hours could have been 
spent to better advantage. They could have been given 
to work in behalf of your entire congregation." 

"The time, I trust, has been well spent. Jesus held 
extended conversations with single individuals. He 
never considered the time lost that he spent with Nico- 
demus and the woman at the well." 

Robert saw his opportunity and said, "If agreeable 
to you, Mr. Lovetruth, I should like to make an en- 
gagement with you for some other evening." 

Monday evening was set. 

"But before you go, Robert, let me read you a clip- 
ping from the Christian Standard, the organ of the 
Disciples or Christian Church. You may think over it 
until next Monday evening. It shows how religious 
bodies are being agitated over the subject we have just 
been discussing." 

Pastor Lovetruth read the clipping with expression. 
Few ministers are good readers. 

Within the past year numerous articles have been written 
regarding this subject and no doubt they have done good, for 
we are noticing the scriptural name — church of Christ — more 
frequently in our papers than formerly. Some writers have 
expended much thought on the name "Christian," saying 



in Finding a Church Home 17 

truthfully that the disciples were called Christians first at 
Antioch. That fact is not under discussion, for no one denies 
that it is correct to speak of individuals as Christians. But the 
name of the church is another question, which many writers 
in their labored articles seem to overlook. The Methodists 
name their Church after the actions or methods of men ; the 
Presbyterians after the rulers or presbytery; the Baptists after 
John the Baptist or the ordinance of baptism; the Congrega- 
tionalists after the form of government of their bodies. So 
we see that these names are purely human names, of human 
origin, and they place men, methods, government and ordi- 
nances above Christ, the founder of the body known as his 
church, for he said, "On this rock I will build my church." 
Were I to ask any reader of this article whether Christ is a 
Christian, you would all answer no, because he is the Christ; 
and you would also say that believing, obedient men and wo- 
men are Christians. That being true it logically follows that 
whenever any person speaks of the Christian Church, he takes 
the name from the individuals composing the body. * * * 
Don't you think it is high time that we are willing to give 
the founder — the head of the church — the honor of naming 
it after him, and not after the men and women who compose 
it? My position on this question can not be successfully con- 
tradicted. Then why should our preachers and editors con- 
tinue to use the unscriptural and human name "Christian 
Church ?" thereby teaching the people an error. The church 
of Christ is scriptural, and gives the honor to Christ who is 
its founder and its head. Many are wishing and hoping for a 
reformation in this matter. 

Robert listened attentively to every word. After 
thanking Mr. Lovetruth for his interest in him he 
passed out into the street to meditate upon the new 
revelations concerning the church. Pastor Lovetruth 
retired that night, thanking God that the Spirit had led 
one sincere inquirer after a better understanding of the. 
church. 

R W— 2 



CHAPTER II. 

"Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord 
shall name." — Isaiah 62:2. 

THE appointed hour of Monday evening came, 
but Robert Woodknow failed to appear. 
"Was the young man not sincere in his 
promise? Has he really deceived me? Would the 
Lord allow his servant to be thus vexed by an im- 
poster?" Pastor Lovetruth soliloquized, as he impa- 
tiently waited. Half an hour passed and Robert was 
still an unknown quantity. But hark! there are foot- 
falls. They proved to be those of Robert Woodknow's. 

"What kept you so long, Robert ?" inquired Pastor 
Lovetruth, somewhat chidingly. 

"I met Everett Knowall on my way here, who in- 
quired where I was going. I told him and tried to ex- 
plain to him what you told me one week ago." 

"What did you tell him, Robert?" 

"Why, I told him that you said the Church of God 
was the only church that was right, at which saying 
he became very indignant and said some very harsh 
things about you." 

"I dto't hope, Robert, that you told him such a 
thing?" 

"Of course I did ; isn't that what you have been try- 
ing to teach me ?" 

"No, no, Robert ; I never said anything of the kind. 
I'm sorry you talked on the subject at all. Your ac- 
tion is as bad as that of the disciples of John, who 
got into a dispute with the Jews on the question* of 

♦John 3 : 25, 26. 



in Finding a Church Home 19 

purifying. They confounded baptism with the Jewish 
washings and then claimed superiority for it. Baptism 
was no washing at all. It was an ordinance of differ- 
ent and higher significance than the Jewish wash- 
ings. The Lord's supper, or the eating of bread and 
the drinking of wine, could be abused in the same way ; 
it could be classed with an after-supper lunch. The 
fact is that the truth has suffered much by novices who 
have more zeal than knowledge and who run off with 
a half truth. I regret exceedingly, Robert, that you 
have done this/' 

"I beg your pardon, Mr. Lovetruth. I did not mean 
to misrepresent you. I did it ignorantly." 

"Pardon is granted. My position is this, Robert : 
the church is a divine institution and should be called 
by the divine name, the Church of God. Bible things 
should be called by Bible names and non-biblical things 
should be called by non-biblical names." 

"But what is there in a name anyhow ? I don't think 
that we ought to make so much fuss about a name." 

"You may not think so, Robert, but your Bible does. 
It lays special emphasis on names. Jesus was so 
named because he was to ( saze his people from their 
sins/ He was also called Emanuel because he was 
'God with us/ Moses was so named because he was 
'taken out of the zcater/ Simon was called Cephas, 
meaning a stone. Luz was called Bethel after the 
Lord's presence had made it a house of God. Jacob, 
whose name meant supplanter, or cheat, was called 
Israel or prince of God after his conflict with the angel. 
Nothing in a name ! you say. We pray in a name. We 
were saved by the only name given under heaven 



2o Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

among men. When every knee shall bow it will be 
at that name which is above every name. Why, Robert, 
if you do away with names you will rob the Bible of its 
beauty and our religion of its sweetness. And, Robert, 
what gives such hymns as 'His name dispels my guilt 
and fear/ 'How sweet the name of Jesus sounds' and 
'Take the name of Jesus with you/ sentiment and 
beauty ?" 

"I don't know, unless it is the name of Jesus found 
in them. The first hymn that you mentioned was my 
mother's favorite. It was an unseen solace to her in 
times of trouble.'' 

"No doubt of that. But strike the name Jesus from 
the hymns and you will have nothing but chaff left. 
They would go out of use at once. The name Jesus 
is to our hymnology what the tree shown to Moses by 
the Lord was to the bitter waters of Marah. The tree 
sweetened the waters.* There must be something in a 
name after all." 

Robert's face took a serious expression. The hymn 
took his mind back to his home. The angelic form 
of his dear mother came up before him. 

"Robert/' continued Pastor Lovetruth, "why did 
Jesus give no answer to the Syrophonecian woman 
when she appealed to him in behalf of her daughter 
who was sorely vexed with a devil?" 

"I suppose to try her faith." 

"No, not to try her faith ; it was because of a name. 
She addressed Jesus as the 'Son of David/ Son of 
David was his Jewish title and she, being a Gentile, 

* Exodus 15:23-25. 



in Finding a Church Home 21 

had no right to use it. As a result Jesus answered her 
not a word. No Gentile could possibly have inter- 
course with Jesus under that title. And when the dis- 
ciples took up the woman's cause and asked for her 
a blessing, to them Jesus said, 'I am not sent but unto 
the lost sheep of the house of Israel/ The woman, 
overheard the words. Her keen, far-sighted, intelli^ 
gent faith at once saw in those words the utter impos- 
sibility of securing help for her daughter from Jesus 
as the 'Son of David/ The blessings of the 'Son of 
David' were for David's sons, the Jews. She dropped 
that part of his title, worshiped him and said, 'Lord, 
help me.' She was now near a blessing. She then 
placed herself in right relation to Jesus under that 
name and got more than she asked for. Don't say, then, 
Robert, that Jesus did it to try the woman's faith. It 
would have been cruel on the part of Jesus to say the 
least of it. And how 7 almost brutal for him to answer 
her not a word if it was only to try her faith. But not 
so. It is a dreadful illustration of the absolute inflexi- 
bility of the laws of the spiritual world. Jesus' names 
and titles stand for something and dare not be prosti- 
tuted to improper uses. It may seem a hard saying, 
Robert, but if the poor woman had persisted in the use 
of the Jewish title the help of Christ for her daughter 
would have been impossible." 

"I never heard that explained in that way before. 
Your explanation calls to my mind an act of mine the 
other day." 

"What was it, Robert?" 

"I went into the post-office to have a Money Order 
cashed and I was refused." 



22 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

"Was the Order not good?" 

"Yes, the Order was good. And they were willing 
to cash it. The trouble was with me. I presented it 
at the wrong place. I went to the stamp window 
with it. When I presented it at the Money Order 
window they cashed it at once." 

"It was so with the poor woman. She went to the 
Jew's window with a Gentile daughter. When she 
turned to the Gentile's window she had no trouble at 
all." 

"In that sense, Mr. Lovetruth, I agree with you that 
there is something in a name. But when I spoke of 
making a fuss about a name I meant the name of the 
church." 

"We will see in a moment, Robert. Suppose you 
take the Bible again and turn to Acts 20 128. By what 
name is the church called there ?" 

"By the name 'church of God/ " said Robert. 

"Now get first Corinthians 1 :2 and tell me the name 
there." 

"The name 'church of God! " 

"You may get first Corinthians 10:32. Do you have 
it?" 

"I have it now." 

"Well, what is it?" 

"The 'church of God! " 

"Now get first Corinthians the 11 chapter and 22d 
verse. Tell me the name there." 

"The 'church of God/ " 

"Now get"— 

"What's the use of getting any more?" interrupted 
Robert. 



in Finding a Church Home 23 

"I mean to fully satisfy you, Robert. Israel once 
cried for meat, meat, meat, and the Lord sent them 
meat for a whole month, until it nauseated them. You 
intimated that the Bible was silent on the question of a 
church title. I want you to see. that it has much to say 
on the subject. Now turn to the 15th chapter and 9th 
verse." 

"Of what book?" inquired Robert, just a little ruf- 
fled. 

"First Corinthians, as before." 

"The 'church of God/ Why is so much said in the 
book of Corinthians about the church title Y* 

"I don't know, unless it is because it was in Corinth 
that the church first fell into the sin of sectarianism 
and where believers were first called after the names 
of human leaders. An epidemic is always the sub- 
ject of conversation in the town in which it prevails. 
But the church title is mentioned other places, too. 
Turn to Galatians 1:13 and see what it is." 

"The 'church of God/" 

"But let me trouble you with one more, Robert. 
Suppose you get first Timothy 3 .-15." 

Robert seemed to have a little difficulty in locating 
the book of Timothy. "What's the matter, Robert; 
can't you find the place ?" 

"I made a mistake. I looked for the book of Tim- 
othy after Hebrews, instead of before it. I have it 
now." 

"Well, let me hear what it is." 

'"Just what the others were — the church of God." 

"Now, do you see how clear the Bible is on this 
subject? Furthermore, I will make you a present of a 



24 Robert Woodknoztfs Difficulties 

copy of the finest Oxford Teachers'' Bible to be had in 
Ismville if you will find anywhere in the New Testa- 
ment the church called by a human name." 

"You can well speak that way ; you know it can 
not be found." 

''''Why should you wonder, then, that I make such 
a strong plea for the name 'church of God/ w 

"Your position is beginning to look more reasonable," 
said Robert. 

"Only beginning to. I'm astonished. I presume 
that after you get into the kingdom and see, as we 
sing, ''all the ransomed church of God saved to sin no 
more,' that the name will appear fully reasonable." 

"I'm stupid. Mr. Lovetruth, I know, yet not quite 
that bad." 

"No, Robert, you are not stupid. Your unreadiness 
to accept these truths is a mark of prejudice more than 
anything else. You allow yourself to be governed en- 
tirely by your early training." 

"I confess that my training has not been in harmony 
with what you have been telling me. Everett Knowall, 
who detained me on my way here this evening, said 
that f we would all be the church of God in heaven.' n 

"Does Mr. Knowall ever pray, 'Thy will be done en 
earth as it is in heaven ?' " asked Mr. Lovetruth. 

"I would suppose so, for it is part of the ritual of his 
church." 

"Why doesn't Mr. Knowall answer his own prayer. 
If we are all to be the church of God in heaven, as 
Mr. Knowall says, and God's will is to be done en 
earth as it is in heaven, Mr. Knowall could answer 
his own prayer by taking the name ''church of God/ ,: 



in Finding a Church Home 25 

A twinkle in Robert's eye betrayed the presence of a 
bright thought. Pastor Lovetruth caught the expres- 
sion. "What are you thinking about, Robert ?" 

"How do you know I am thinking?'' 

"I see it by your expression." 

"It just struck me/' said Robert, "that possibly my 
friend, Mr. Knowall, in praying that prayer was like 
the rich farmer who prayed for the poor and needy 
of his community. When he had finished his prayer 
his son said to him, 'Papa, if you will give me your 
corn barns I will answer that prayer.' ' 

"Very true. Many of us could answer our own 
prayers. I do not wish to judge, but I imagine that 
if some night an angel should come down from heaven 
and erase all human names and sectarian titles from 
our church records and ecclesiastical literature that it 
would hardly be twenty-four hours' until committees 
would be appointed to undo the angel's work. A few 
years ago a noted evangelist addressed a large gather- 
ing in the city of Philadelphia on the subject of 
'Heaven.' On the rostrum back of the speaker w r as 
seated ministers of not a few denominations. In the 
course of the evangelist's talk he turned to one of the 
ministers and said, 'What church do you represent?' 
'The Presbyterian,' was the reply. 'There will be no 
Presbyterians in heaven,' cried the evangelist. To the 
next he said, 'What church do you represent?' The 
reply came, 'The Lutheran.' 4 There will be no Luth- 
erans in heaven.' The next was a Baptist and he was 
told there would be no Baptists in heaven. And so 
he continued to address each minister and finally came 
to one of the ministers of the churches of God. 'And 



.26 Robert IVoodknoiSs Difficulties 

to what church do you belong?' the evangelist cried. 
'The church of God/' was the firm reply. He paused a 
'little and then said, 'Yes, the church of God will be 
there/ " 

"But that is a story, isn't it?" said Robert. 

"No, Robert, it was an actual occurrence. " 

"But isn't a single part of the Lord's prayer a weak 
ioundation on which to build a doctrine?" 

"It might be considered so if it were the only sup- 
port to be found in the Bible. But I think I have 
shown you conclusively that the Bible not only is silent 
on other names, but that it has much to say about the 
name 'church of God.' I used this simply to prove that 
the inferences, if you may choose to reduce their logical 
force to such, are not at variance with what I have 
"been telling you. In fact you called the matter up by 
referring to something Mr. Knowall said.'' 5 

Pastor Lovetruth read to Robert a few verses from 
the prayer of Jesus as found in the 17th chapter of 
John. 

"Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom 
thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While 
I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name!' 

"This, Robert," continued Pastor Lovetruth, "is 
part of the true Lord's prayer. The prayer we com- 
monly call the Lord's prayer is not the Lord's prayer 
^at all. The Lord never prayed it. But we are not dis- 
cussing which prayer of the Bible is the Lord's prayer. 
We are after the Bible name for the church. In what 
Tiame in that prayer does Jesus pray that his disciples 
might be kept?" 



in Finding a Church Home 27 

"The name of God, the Father." 

"And Paul, speaking of that name, says it is the 
name of whom the whole family* in heaven and earth 
is named. Would that not be the church of God ?" 

"Then you mean to say that the people of God are 
one family, whether living or dead, and that that family 
constitutes the church of God." 

"Most assuredly. Whether it is the church militant 
or the church triumphant; the living ones or the de- 
parted ones; the church on earth or the church with 
Christ in glory, it is all one. It is the one family; it 
is the church of God." 

"But I don't see that it matters a great deal one way 
or the other by what name the church is called." 

"Now, Robert, you know better than that. If there 
was an inheritance in England for the Woodknow 
descendants and you knew of it and were about to take 
the matter up for investigation, I am quite certain that 
you would not so much as change even a single letter in 
your name. It would then matter a great deal by what 
name you were called. Now Peter says that we have 
been begotten 'to an inheritance incorruptible, and un- 
defiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven 
for as/ And Paul says, 'The Spirit beareth witness/ 
that is, tells us, 'that we are the children of God/ So, 
then, anything that tells us that we are the children of 
Calvin, or Wesley, or Luther, or Otterbein, must not 
be the work of the Spirit. Besides, neither of these 
men has an inheritance for us. And if we are children, 
then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with 

*Ephesians 3:15. 



28 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

Christ. Thus we see that there is an inheritance for the 
children of God, the family of God, the church of God. 
This, Robert, is the legal view of this subject. And it 
is well to oe on the right side of the question, so that 
when our Advocate with the Father, or Attorney, as 
he may be called, takes up our claims for the inherit- 
ance, that he may win." 

"From that point of view, Mr. Lovetruth, I admit 
that your argument looks reasonable." 

"Of course, Robert, it must look reasonable. Truth 
is always consistent with reason. But let me ask you 
this question, Why is it that so many of our American 
men and boys are called after Washington, Lincoln, 
Grant, Garfield and Dewey ?" 

"Because those names represent great men." 

"Well, then, Robert, does the taking of those names 
have no meaning?" 

"It may have." 

"It means two things ; it honors the man who origin- 
ally bore the name and clothes the boy who has as- 
sumed it with historical dignity. And these are two 
very strong reasons for holding to the Bible name for 
the church. If it honors a human being to take his 
name, should not the church, which is the body of the 
Lord, honor the Lord in preference to some man or 
method by taking his name? He will honor us if we 
honor him. And will not the taking of his name en- 
noble the church? Don't you think that the church 
would be clothed with a more holy vesture ; and w r ould 
it not look more like a divine institution if it bore the 
divine name of the Lord? Paul was called to bear 



in Finding a Church Home 29 

the Lord's name before the Gentiles,* and kings and 
the children of Israel." 

"But what if the church were a reproach to the 
name of the Lord? Alexander the Great, it is said, 
had in his army a soldier by the name of Alexander. 
One day the great general noted the slothfulness with 
which the soldier performed his duty. He went to him 
and requested that he either change his name or be- 
come a better soldier and cease dishonoring his gen- 
eral. Might it not so be with the church ?" 

"We need not make provision for evil. The world 
is full enough of wickedness without the church add- 
ing encouragement. Just arrange a seat for Satan, and 
it will not be long until he will occupy it. We must 
not make provisions for the flesh to live after the 
flesh. It is strictly forbidden in the Scriptures. We 
have nothing to do with the changing of the name of 
the church. It is ours to get people to live so that their 
lives will honor it. Some of the churches are striking 
out of their disciplines restrictions governing certain 
evils with the flimsy argument that it is better not to 
have a law than to have it and have it broken. It is a 
step downward. I would say, keep the name and purge 
the body of those who disgrace it, after all efforts have 
failed to reclaim them. This was the course* pursued 
by the Apostles/' 

"I presume that would be the better plan." 
"Robert, did you ever read, 'No Sects in Heaven?' " 
"That poem by Elizabeth Cleaveland? Yes, I just 
heard it recited at an entertainment in Rev. Epworth's 
church not long ago." 

*Acts 9:15. *I. Cor. 5:5; I. Tim. 1:20. 



30 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

"It is a popular selection. Yet it deals a terrific blow 
at the man-devised customs and machinery introduced 
into the church. Every device of man had to be drop- 
ped by the different pilgrims either at or in the stream. 
Let me read the poem to you again and note how beau- 
tifully this idea is brought out. I have the poem in 
my library.'* 

It was only a minute until Pastor Lovetruth had the 
poem and read, — 

Talking of sects quite late one eve, 
What one and another of saints believe, 
That night I stood in a troubled dream 
By the side of a darkly-flowing stream. 

And a "churchman" down to the river came, 
When I heard a strange voice call his name, 
"Good Father, stop ; when you cross this tide 
You must leave you robes on the other side." 

But the aged father did not mind, 
And his long gown floated out behind 
As down to the stream his way he took, 
His hands firm hold of a gilt-edged book. 

"I'm bound for heaven, and when I'm there 
I shall want my book of Common Prayer, 
And though I put on a starry crown, 
I should feel quite lost without my gown." 

Then he fixed his eye on the shining track, 
But his gown was heavy and held him back, 
And the poor old father tried in vain, 
A single step in the flood to gain. 

I saw him again on the other side, 
But his silk gown floated on the tide, 
And no one asked, in that blissful spot, 
If he belonged to "the church" or not. 

Then down to the river a Quaker strayed; 
His dress of a sober hue was made, 
"My hat and coat must be all of gray, 
I cannot go any other way." 



in Finding a Church Home 31 

Then he buttoned his coat straight up to his chin 
And staidly, solemnly, waded in, 
And his broad-brimmed hat he pulled down tight 
Over his forehead, so cold and white. 

But a strong wind carried away his hat, 
And he sighed a few moments over that, 
And then, as he gazed to the farther shore, 
The coat slipped off and was seen no more. 

Poor dying Quaker, thy suit of gray 

Is quietly sailing — away — away, 

But thou'lt go to heaven, as straight as an arrow, 

Whether thy brim be broad or narrow. 

Next came Dr. Watts with a bundle of psalms 

Tied nicely up in his aged arms, 

And hymns as many, a very wise thing, 

That the people in heaven, "all round/' might sing.- 

But I thought that he heaved an anxious sigh, 
As he saw that the river ran broad and high, 
And looked rather surprised, as one by one, 
The psalms and hymns in the wave went down. 

And after him, with his MSS., 

Came Wesley, the pattern of godliness, 

But he cried, "Dear me, what shall I do? 

The water has soaked them through and through." 

And there, on the river, far and wide, 

Away they went on the swollen tide, 

And the saint, astonished, passed through alone, 

Without his manuscripts, up to the throne. 

************* 

And now where the river was rolling on, 

A Presbyterian church went down ; 

Of women, there seemed an innumerable throng, 

But the men I could count as they passed along. 

And concerning the road they could never agree, 
The old or the new way, which it could be ; 
Nor ever a moment paused to think 
That both would lead to the river's brink. 

And a sound of murmuring long and loud 
Came ever up from the moving crowd, 



j$2 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

"You're in the old way, and I'm in the new, 
That is the false, and this is the true ;" 
Or, "I'm in the old way, and you're in the new, 
That is the false, and this is the true. 

************* 

I watched them long in my curious dream, 
Till they stood by the border of the stream, 
Then, just as I thought, the two ways met, 
But all the brethren were talking yet, 
And would talk on, till the heaving tide 
Carried them over, side by side; 

Side by side, for the way was one, 

The toilsome journey of life was done, 

And priest and Quaker, and all who died, 

Came out alike on the other side; 

No forms or crosses, or books had they, 

No gowns of silk, or suits of gray, 

No creeds to guide them, or MSS., 

For all had put on "Christ's righteousness." 

"It is a question in my mind," added Pastor Love- 
truth, "whether Mr. Epworth would be willing to fol- 
low the teachings of the poem." 

"Why, he applauded the reciter the other evening." 
"Yes, that may all be and next Sunday he will likely 
thank God that he was rocked in the cradle of his par- 
ticular sect or denomination. I have thought already 
that it was a great pity that some of these sectarian 
cradles did not upset and tumble their occupants out. 
And, Robert, Rev. Epworth forgets that when he was 
-ordained by his Bishop that he was ordained to preach 
in the church of God. When his Bishop delivered to 
him the Holy Bible he said, 'Take thou authority to 
read the Scriptures in the church of God and to preach 
the same.'* Now, why don't Rev. Epworth stick to the 
holy orders of his ordination ? The sin of sectarianism 
is the crying shame of the age. And how can Mr. Ep- 

*Part VII, chap. 6, page 331, Discipline M. IE,. Church. 



in Finding a Church Home 33 

worth glory in anything that savors of this sin ? But 
then the Bible speaks of some who will glory in their 
shame, and designates them as the enemies of the cross 
of Christ. I get fairly sick of these human names, and 
creeds, and confessions of faith." 

"What! don't you believe in creeds?" 

"No, Robert, I believe in Christ." 

"But don't you have any creed?" 

"Nothing but the Bible. I find that quite sufficient. 
The only thing I see in creeds is that they divide the 
church and teach a one-sided religion." 

"How is that?" 

"I think I can make that clear in a very few words. 
What did two presidents, two capitals and two flags 
do for our Union in the sixties ?" 

"They divided the Union." 

"That is what a multiplicity of creeds is doing with 
the church of God in the world." 

"But divisions exist, why not recognize them ?" 

"Don't you know that you dignify an evil by giv- 
ing it recognition. Divisions existed in the church at 
Corinth, yet Paul addressed them as the church of 
God. And Elijah recognized the unity of the twelve 
tribes of Israel, even when they were rent with strife 
and weakened by divisions." 

"But you charged creeds with teaching a one-sided 
religion. How do you substantiate that?" 

"For instance, if all our representatives in Congress 
were miners, what would be the effect?" 

"It would be a one-interest affair." 

"And if all were farmers?" 

"It would be the same." 
R W— 3 



34 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

"And if all were manufacturers ?" 

"It would not be different/' 

"Now don't you see how creeds teach a one-sided 
religion ? Each creed, as a rule, emphasizes one or two 
distinctive tenets or doctrines at the neglect of others, 
while the Bible holds them all in perfect equipoise. As 
a twig can never be as great as the tree, or a spoke 
as great as the wheel, just so a creed can never be as 
great as the Bible." 

Just at this juncture of the conversation Robert no- 
ticed a clipping pasted on the inside lid of Pastor Love- 
truth's Bible which he still held in his hand. He was 
curious to know its contents, and as Pastor Lovetruth 
was such an approachable person Robert showed no 
hesitancy in saying, "What is this that you have pasted 
here in your Bible?" 

"It is another clipping, Robert," said Pastor Love- 
truth. "And, by the way, will you just read it. It is 
on 'The Sin of Human Creeds/ and so bears very 
strongly on what we are now discussing. I got it, I 
think, from a paper called the Christian Standard, and 
if I mistake not the author is Mr. H. F. Ritz." 

Robert read it. It was this : 

1. Human creeds have divided the church. Jesus prayed 
for the oneness of his people, to the intent that the world 
might believe on him. The creed-maker says, Not so; let the 
church be divided and then, if a man does not like one, he can 
join the other. 

2. They are bars of fellowship. Jesus says, "For whosoever 
shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, 
and mother." A man may do the will of God and be brother 
of his Lord, but the creed-maker says, No; unless you sub- 



in Finding a Church Home 35 

scribe to my creed, you can never become my brother in my 
church. 

3. They promote infidelity. Creeds contradict each other, 
yet it is claimed that all are taken from the Book. This makrs 
it appear thrt the Book contradicts itself. The ungodly, not 
feeling disposed to investigate for themselves, at once become 
infidels. 

4. They hamper free speech. Regardless of new illumina- 
tions and higher thought than that contained in his creed, a 
minister, for the sake of his creed, dares not be true to him- 
self and express his feelings, lest he be branded a heretic 

5. Thy are not satisfactory. Many prominent ministers 
override the creeds, and one of them even recently went so 
far as to say that he defied an Almighty who would do :what 
the creed of his (the minister's) church teaches. 

6. They separate us from Christ It is only to the Master 
that we can go for instruction in spiritual matters. Him jwe 
must believe and obey, or be lost. For a human creed to dic- 
tate to us what we must believe and do, is to separate us from 
Christ. 

7. They are in conflict with the word of God. If taken 
from the Bible, they would all be alike. Contradicting each 
other, they contradict the Bible. Dcing this, they add to or 
take away from it. This is a sin (Deut 4:2; 12:32; T^ev. 
22:18, 19). 

When Robert had finished reading the clipping he 
said, "I see it now." 

"And, Robert, every creed stands as the basis of a 
sect or denomination, and lest you might get into a 
discussion on this subject as you did with Mr. Know- 
all, I would like to read to you a little to show yoi* 
where sects began and v/hat the Bible thinks of them.'' 
Pastor Lovetruth read- 
Now this I say that every one of you saith, I am of Paul ; 
and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ 
divided? Was Paul crucified frr yo;r; or were ye baptized 



3*6 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

in the name of Paul ? Whereas there is among you divisions, 
are ye not carnal and walk as men? For while one saith, I 
am of Paul ; and another, I am of Apollos ; are ye not car- 
nal? Who then is Paul and who is Apollos, but ministers by 
whom ye believed? 

"Where do you find that, Mr. Lovetruth ?" 

"In I. Corinthians 1:12 and 13 and 3:3, 4 and 5. 
It is a most striking illustration of the evil of sectar- 
ianism. Had the Apostle left the Corinthians go for 
awhile those who had believed under Paul would have 
founded a Pauline church. Those who had believed 
under Apollos would have founded an Apollosian 
church and the same would have been true of those who 
believed under Cephas, or Peter. The Pauline church 
would have formulated a creed emphasizing the things 
embodied in the gospel to the Gentiles of which Paul 
was the exponent. The church of Cephas would have 
formulated a creed emphasizing the distinctive ele- 
ments in the gospel to the Jews or circumcision, as 
Peter was the Apostle of the circumcision. And Apol- 
los and his followers would have followed a similar 
course. Instead of the church being one symmetrical 
whole, it would have stood before the world, as it does 
to-day, a mass of fragmentary sects." 

"Mr. Lovetruth you surprise me. I never thought 
of the subject as of such great importance." 

"The church, Robert, is the greatest and grandest 
organization on earth/' Pulling from his pocket he 
read from a tract by which he showed the greatness of 
the church : 

This spiritual structure, this mystic house of God, this 
temple of the living God, far surpasses in wonder and in 



in Finding a Church Home 37 

beauty and in its compactness all the wonders of ancient, 
medieval and modern times. The temple of Diana of Ephesus 
vanished before the church of God, her light was like a candle 
at noontide before the glare of the mighty sun. This temple, 
of which Pliny so graphically writes, is lost like a drop in the 
ocean. The renowned goddess lies slumbering in the wake of 
time, while the church of God is towering over the wreck of 
centuries. The magnificent temple at Jerusalem, the pride and 
the glory of the descendants of Abraham, the place where once 
the Shechinah dwelt, which once was the type of its more 
glorious and eternal antitype, after fulfilling its mission, 
crumbled into dust and ashes before the spiritual temple — the 
church of God. All earthly temples are made of perishable 
material, and will ultimately perish ; but the church of God, 
being a spiritual house, and like the eternal Spirit himself, will 
endure forever. Time, accompanied by fierce persecutions, by 
fire and sword, famines and pestilence, anathemas and pro- 
scription, imprisonment and banishments, has not destroyed a 
single luster of the church. To-day she looketh forth as the 
morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an 
army with banners. Assailed by foes without, defamed . by 
skeptics and troubled by internal dissensions and multiplicity 
of divisions, she stands forth, like the everlasting hills, sup- 
ported upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets by 
her chief and eternal corner-stone, Jesus Christ. 

"There is nothing, Robert, that vitally effects the 
church that is of small import. Paul speaks of the 
church as a body; the hand, the foot, the ear and the 
eye of the body representing the different members of 
the church possessing the several gifts of the Spirit, 
such as faith, working of miracles, prophecy, discern- 
ing of spirits, etc. Imagine the hand going off alone 
to perform its mission and calling itself a body. Or 
think of the eye with its one function calling itself a 
body. Or picture in your mind the ear with the ability 



$8 Robert WoodknovJs Difficulties 

orrfy to hear calling itself a body. Yet that is what the 
church, the body of Christ, is doing. A denomination 
representing one or two doctrines is not the church. It 
is only a section, a branch, a hand or foot of the body. 
Paul laments this mutilated condition of the body of 
CErist. He says, 'God hath tempered the body to- 
gether/ 'There should be no schism in the body/ How 
much better service would be performed if the sections 
or members of the body of Christ were brought to- 
gether. 'The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no 
need of thee ; nor the head to the feet, I have no need 
of you/ " 

"I see what you mean, Mr. Lovetruth. But it is a 
mystery to me why the churches of God are hurt by 
everjr little thing when they hold to the divine name 
for the church and the Bible for a creed. ,, 

"Who said that every little thing hurts us?" 

"Why, Everett Knowall." 

"Everett Knowall must have told you lots of things. 
What did he mean?" 

"He meant any trouble, or scandal or dissension 
found among you." 

"If that is true, Robert, it is only a strong proof of 
the divinity of our position. There must be something 
radically wrong with a church that cannot be hurt by 
scandal, or error in belief and practice. It is the same 
principle that is seen when a man gets drunk ; the bet- 
ter the man the more he is hurt by the dissipation. An 
old sot can get drunk and nothing is said about it, but 
if some man of character should do the same it would 
be the talk of the town. Which is the greater evil, 



in F hiding a Church Home 39 

Robert, the taking of a common name in vain or the 
Lord's name?" 

"The Lord's name, to be sure." 

"Do you not see that many of the religious bodies 
bear only ordinary names, while the churches of God 
bear the Lord's name?" 

"And which book can you profane the more, the 
Bible or a creed formulated by man ?" 

"The Bible, of course." 

"Just so; our creed is the Bible. Everett Know r all 
didn't think he was paying us such a high compliment. 
He was like the Pharisees who charged Jesus with re- 
ceiving sinners, little knowing that their charge was 
the very glory of Jesus. A church that cannot be hurt 
by an Achan has little or nothing to hurt. But, Robert, 
I have noticed this : that people drift to some of the 
denominations and that it takes a great deal of self- 
determination and power to go w T ith the churches of 
God. And I know that human nature does not drift 
toward divine things." 

"I see it more clearly than ever. But isn't it a little 
narrow to cut one's self off from everybody else by 
taking that name?" 

"It must not be so clear after all or you would not ask 
me that question. How strangely you speak. I can 
conceive of nothing broader or greater than that name 
which associates one with God. The name 'church of 
God' does that. If I had the choice of two things, I 
would rather use a name that cuts me off from men 
and shuts me up with God, than take a name that cuts 
me off from God and shuts me up with Wesley, or Cal- 
vin, or Luther, or Otterbein. A denomination is largely 



40 Robert Woodknovfs Difficulties 

one man's thoughts and one man's thoughts can never 
be more than an atom of the mind of God." 

"How do you reason that out ?-" 

"For instance, take the Lutheran Church. What 
does the title stand for ?" 

"Luther, of course." 

"And who was Luther?" 

"The light of the Reformation." 

"Now, Robert, do you see that the church under the 
Lutheran name is narrowed down to one Reformer. 
There was more than one Reformer. Are we to be 
partial? What are we to do with Knox, Calvin, the 
Wesleys, Savonorola and others? And even if the 
Lutheran title stood for all the Reformers, as the name 
of the Reformed Church does, it is still very narrow. 
The church stands for more than the Reformation. 
That is only an event in her history. But, Robert, 
take the Baptist Church, What does the word Baptist 
stand for?" 

"The ordinance of baptism." 

"Does the Church stand for nothing more than an 
ordinance? And, by the way, I am reminded of an in- 
cident that took place between Pastor Brown and Dr. 
McArthur, of New York. At the Nashville Christian 
Endeavor Convention a few years ago Dr. R. S. Mc- 
Arthur attempted to score one in defense of the name 
Baptist for the Church. Dr. McArthur is pastor of 
Calvary Baptist church, N. Y. He related the story of 
the Methodist and Baptist who met in conversation and 
each asserted that he was right and the other wrong. 
At last the Baptist confounded the Methodist by telling 
him that he had Scripture for his name. Said he, 



in Finding a Church Home 41 

'There is John the Baptist, but you cannot read any- 
where about John the Methodist/ The story was an 
innocent bit of fun, but Dr. McArthur proceeded to 
argue from the story the name Baptist as a Bible name 
for the Church. After the service Pastor Brown, of 
the churches of God, met the cultured and brilliant 
pastor of Calvary church and said, 'Doctor, if you are 
looking for a Bible name for the Church, do you not 
think that you could find a more appropriate title 
among the Acts and Epistles of the New Testament?' 
'Probably, probably/ answered the Doctor, 'How 
would the name "church of God" do ?' continued Pas- 
tor Brown. 'I should like it very much, I should like 
it very much/ added the Doctor. But from last re- 
ports Dr. McArthur still holds to the Baptist name. 
There are other ordinances beside baptism. And if 
the name Baptist stood for all the ordinances it would 
still be narrow. The church stands for more than ordi- 
nances. Why narrow the church? Why belittle the 
meaning of her mission? Why obscure her real pur- 
pose in the world by adopting sectarian names? But 
take the name United Brethren. What does that name 
mean ?" 

"A fraternal feeling or relation between two or more 
persons/' 

"Then it means a relation?" 

"At least so I understand it," said Robert. 

"But does the Church stand for only one relation? 
How about her relation to God, to Jesus Christ, to the 
Holy Spirit, to the world and many others? Should 
we not have churches to stand for these other rela- 
tions, too? We would fill the world with denomina- 



42 Robert Woodknou/s Difficulties 

tions or sects to get churches to represent them all. 
And if the United Brethren Church stood for all the 
relations it would still be a narrow sect, for relations 
are only part of the body of Christ. But what about 
the name Presbyterian, Robert ?" 

"I don't know exactly what that name means. " 
"It refers to the form of church government. But 
there are other forms in the church, such as the form 
of worship and the form of prayer. And from the ex- 
tent of formality in the churches it might be a profit- 
able thing to make auction of some of our forms. But 
the church is more than forms. Forms are only a sect 
of the church. I attended a Brethren Conference not 
long ago, at which the appointment of a committee to 
set forth their 'peace principles 3 was discussed. The 
action failed of passage. The argument against it was 
that the Brethren Church believed other things be- 
sides the peace principles and that if a committee was 
appointed for the one that it would be necessary to ap- 
point committees for all their principles, otherwise there 
would be a disintegration of their faith; whereas it 
should be kept intact. They are very jealous of their 
faith and don't want it cut up in fragments, never 
thinking that in the adoption of their creed they disin- 
tegrated the faith of Jesus, the faith once delivered to 
the saints. Will there be no end to this crime? Why 
not say 'Church of God ?' as such a title exalts no one, 
emphasizes no divisions, recognizes no differences. It 
embodies all the Reformers, all the ordinances, all the 
relations, all the forms, in fact the entire revealed will 
of the Lord. The 'Church of God/ then, is no sect, it 
is the whole body. Presbyterian, Lutheran, United 



in Finding a Church Home 43 

Brethren, Baptist are not names of Churches, but sects 
of the church. The names stand for only a part of 
the church. They are twigs, chips, atoms and not the 
body. Xow, Robert, is the 'Church of God' narrow? 
The 'Church of God' comprehends what it takes all 
the others combined to do/' 

"I should think not. I beg your pardon, Mr. Love- 
truth, for even intimating such a thing.' , 

"The name 'Church of God' stands for God and all 
his name means to a world of untold millions of human 
beings. It stands as the impregnable rock upon w r hich 
every false system of religion and every theory of un- 
belief shall at last be dashed to pieces. It is the name 
of him to whom the kingdom at last shall be delivered 
when he shall have become all in all/' 

"Since I see that name means so much I can not 
help but admire it myself," said Robert. 

"I visited a public school a few years ago. The 
teacher was hearing a class in history. She asked one 
boy his nationality. His blunt answer was, 'Repub- 
lican.' 'No, not Republican,' the teacher said. 'That is 
only a party under the government. You are an 
American. 1 She asked another his nationality. He 
answered, 'Democrat/ 'No,' says she, k not Democrat, 
you are an American/ She told him that the word 
Democrat, like the word Republican, referred to no 
nation at all but was the name of a party or political 
division among the American people. And yet, Robert, 
people say they belong to the Lutheran Church, the 
Baptist Church and the United Brethren Church, 
when these are not churches at all, but parties or sects 
of the church. They all belong to the 'Church of God/ 



44 Robert Woodknoi&fs Difficulties 

if they are God's children ; and if to one of the sects 
into which the 'Church of God' is divided, then they be- 
long to the Lutheran sect of the 'Church of God/ or 
the United Brethren sect of the 'Church of God/ or the 
Baptist sect of the 'Church of God/ I was never so 
forcibly impressed with this truth as when I read how 
that during the Civil War there was an unwritten 
understanding between the Nationals and the Con- 
federates that the residence and the grounds of George 
Washington should be undisturbed by either. The 
soldiers of each side made pilgrimages to Mount Ver- 
non when in that vicinity without molestation from 
the other. Although the warfare raged throughout 
Washington's State, that part of it occupied by him- 
self during his life was not desecrated by march of 
battle. One spot in the United States was held sacred 
from the touch of war's passions and hates. At that 
shrine the visitors of 1861-65 were not Federals or 
Confederates, but were Americans. And could we all 
but remember that we are members of the same body, 
the church of God, no matter what the sects be to 
which we may belong into which that body is divided. 
And will the church never learn the truth Paul taught 
in the twelfth chapter of first Corinthians, that there 
are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; that there 
are differences of administrations, but the same Lord; 
that there are many members, yet but one body? Why 
limit the Spirit to a single gift? Why call a solitary 
member the body ? May heaven forgive modern Chris- 
tendom for this crime/ , 

"Is it possible, Mr. Lovetruth, that I never saw these 
things before?" 



in Finding a Church Home 



45 



Robert, in looking at his watch, found that it was 
nearly eleven o'clock. 

"It must be possible, unless your ignorance was only 
of the make-believe kind." 

"I was just as ignorant, Mr. Lovetruth, as my speech 
implied. But, indeed, I must go or else I will be unfit 
for work to-morrow." 

As he left Pastor Lovetruth cautioned him not to 
speak on anything unless his mind was fully clear. 




CHAPTER III. 

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptised." — Acts 2:41.. 

ROBERT WOODKNOW appeared at the par- 
sonage the next Monday evening although 
no arrangements had been made to that ef- 
fect. It was an oversight on the part of both Pastor 
Lovetruth and Robert at their last meeting. Robert 
nevertheless found his tutor-minister at home awaiting 
his coming. 

"Were you looking for me?" Robert said, just a lit- 
tle timidly, when he arrived at the parsonage. 

"Why, yes, rather; yet I feared that my neglect to 
say something to you at our last meeting might be in- 
terpreted as a disposition on my part to abandon our 
conferences. I expected to see you at service yesterday, 
but late in the week I received word from Mr. Mahlon, 
asking me to fill his pulpit, as he had suddenly taken 
ill. I consented, and secured Mr. Reddyhelp, of the 
seminary, for my pulpit/' 

"I was at service yesterday and was greatly sur- 
prised, as well as disappointed, to see a stranger in 
your pulpit. It did not seem like the same place.'' 

"How did you like Mr. Reddyhelp?" 

"I can't say that I liked him at all. His sermon was 
entirely doctrinal. But that would have been no ob- 
jection if he had not made so many wild statements." 

"And what were his statements, Robert?" 

"One, as well as I remember, was to the effect that 
the basis of infant baptism is exceedingly slender and 
its provisions too dangerous to justify the adherence 
of any conscientious Christian to them." 



in Finding a Church Home 47 

"Why, Robert, I don't see anything out of place in 
that statement. It is no more than what I would 
have said myself on the same subject, only in different 
words possibly." 

"Then you repudiate infant baptism, do you?" 

"I most certainly do, Robert." 

"Is it possible! I was very favorably inclined to- 
ward the Church of God, after hearing what I did 
about the name, but I must desist from my proposed 
course. My mother had Dr. Augsberg baptize me 
when I was a babe and I cannot pursue a course that 
w r ould cast a reflection on the act by which my mother 
consecrated me to the Lord." 

"But, Robert, think a moment. With all due respect 
to your mother, we must remember that God's 'word 
is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path/ We 
must be governed in thought and act by that," 

"That is precisely what I mean," said Robert. "I 
am surprised that you should denounce the baptism of 
infants irrespective of what the Bible says on the sub- 
ject in its favor." 

"Well, Robert, what does the Bible say?" 

"Very much, I am sure." 

"Then if the Bible is so full of the subject, suppose 
that you find me a single reference." 

"That is easy enough. Does not the great commis- 
sion — 'Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things 
whatsoever I have commanded you' — include in its 
provisions infants?" 



48 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

"How do you get infants into the great commis- 
sion ?" 

"Are not the nations of the earth in part made up of- 
infants ?" 

"Yes, of course, they are, and so are thieves and 
murderers and adulterers a part of nations. Would 
you have them baptized also? But you must observe 
that the commission does not say we are to baptize the 
nations. We are to teach or make disciples of the na- 
tions and then baptize those who have been discipled, 
or who have believed, as Mark would put it. Robert, 
you would make an awful muddle of the commission. " 

"How is that? Say it again, will you?" 

"It is this, Robert : The commission enjoins three 
things : First, we are to teach or make disciples of 
the nations. Second, we are to baptize those discipled 
or those who have believed, and, Third, we are to teach 
the baptized to observe all things set forth in the curri- 
culum of the school of Christ. The commission gives 
no authority for the baptism of a single soul among the 
nations who has not believed or been discipled. And 
you know full well that a little infant cannot exercise 
faith in the Savior of its soul. Now, where is your 
Bible authority for it?" 

"But can not infants by virtue of their innocence, 
purity and evident fitness for heaven be classed among 
the disciples of Jesus. Did not Jesus compare his dis- 
ciples to infants? Now, if infants are disciples by 
nature, why not baptize them?" 

"But, Robert, nothing is said of disciples by nature 
in the great commission. The ones to be baptized were 
made disciples by believing. Besides, they were dis- 



in Finding a Church Home 49 

ciples capable of learning, for they were to be taught 
the duties Christ commanded of twelve full-grown 
men." 

"Well," said Robert, "if the authority to baptize in- 
fants is not in the great commission, that does not say 
it is not in the Bible." 

"Oh, no! certainly not," said Pastor Lovetruth, 
"only I would like you to find it, Robert." 

"Well, if infants are not fit subjects for baptism, how 
can they be fit subjects for heaven?" 

"The gospel has nothing to do with infants. Not 
one duty is required of them. Not a command is ad- 
dressed to them. They are neither required to believe 
or be baptized. They are saved without either. You 
must do both. And you pretend to have obeyed the 
command of Jesus to be baptized, when what was done 
for you in your infancy when baptized was not your 
act of obedience at all; it was your mother's act." 

"But did not Jesus baptize children?" 

"I have never found it if he did." 

"Did not mothers bring their children to Jesus for 
the purpose of having them baptized ?" 

"My Bible does not say so. It is very explicit. They 
brought unto him little children that he should put his 
hands on them and pray.* This is all they came for 
and it is all that Jesus did." 

"Are you sure of that?" 

"I am. If you read the narrative a little farther you 
will find that after he had laid his hands on them he 
departed thence. And the fact that the disciples ob- 

•Matt. 19:13. 
R W— 4 



50 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

jected to the course of the women in bringing the chil- 
dren shows that it was not the custom of Jesus to bap- 
tize infants. " 

'Til admit," said Robert, "that it is not found in 
that verse. But just wait, I'll find all the authority you 
want and even more." 

Tm waiting now, Robert." 

Robert pulled from his pocket a small Testament 
and began leafing through it. After a little he said. 
"Mr. Lovetruth, what do you do with these words?" 
and read, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in 
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. 
And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the 
promise is to you and to your children and to all that 
are afar off, even as many as the Lord God shall call/ ;; 

"Those words are in Acts, are they not?" 

"Yes ; Acts 2 138 and 39." 

"I see nothing so conclusive or convincing in that. 
While children are mentioned in the verse they are not 
associated with the word baptism. The persons to be 
baptized are the ones who have repented. And in- 
fants do not repent ; nor can they. They are innocent 
and have no consciousness of sin." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, you have overlooked the latter 
part of the verse — 'The promise is to you and to your 
children: " 

"That speaks of a 'promise to the children, not a 
baptism. Baptism is no promise; it is an ordinance: 
it is a duty. The promise referred to was the gift cf 
the Holy Ghost, as prophesied by Joel., which all should 
receive who repented and were baptized. I guess, 
Robert, we had better read the verse just as it stands. 



in Finding a Church Home 51 

and baptize the ones who repent and offer the promise 
of Joel to the children and to all afar off on the same 
conditions ; that is, that they repent and be baptized." 

"I never looked at that verse in that light before. 
I noticed the word baptised in one part of the verse 
and children in another and took it for granted that it 
was the children who were to be baptized/' 

"We take too much for granted. The Jews took 
it for granted that Paul had taken Trophimus, an 
Ephesian Gentile, into the Temple, at which supposi- 
tion they stirred up a terrible uproar* and all because 
they had seen Paul and Trophimus together some- 
where in the city sometime before." 

"But didn't the Apostles baptize infants?" 

"I do not think so. If they did I never discover 
ed it." 

"Was not the household of Cornelius baptized, and 
were there no children among them?" 

"You find that in the tenth chapter of Acts. The 
persons spoken of besides Cornelius were his kinsman 
and near friends. Nothing is said of a household or 
family. Those present came on invitation, and you 
know as well as I do that infants do not act on invita- 
tions. Moreover, if you will follow the chapter to the 
end you will find four things said of the persons bap- 
tized: 1. They received the Holy Ghost. 2. They 
spoke with tongues. 3. They magnified God ; and, 4. 
They prayed Peter to tarry in their midst. I read of 
none baptized who could not and did not participate in 
these four acts. Now, you must admit that you never 
heard of four such things said of infants." 

•Acts 21:37-30. 



52 Robert: Woodknows Difficulties 

"I'll grant you that, Mr. Lovetruth. But that is not 
all. You must admit that the baptism of Lydia and 
her household, as found in Acts 16:15, is a strong 
argument in favor of infant baptism and one that can 
not be easily brushed aside." 

'1 will not admit a thing that my Bible does not 
teach," retorted Pastor Lovetruth. 

"Lydia's household was baptized, which, of course, 
had children in it." 

"Now, Robert, you are making the Bible teach a 
thing that cannot be found between its two lids. There 
is no evidence that her household had children in it. 
Lydia may not have been married, and if married may 
not have had a husband. She may have been a widow. 
And if she did have a husband, that does not imply 
that there were infant children in her family. Not a 
few families in my congregation are childless. My 
own family, of course, has children. It would not be 
a typical preacher's household without them." 

"Yes, they say preachers generally have large fam- 
ilies." 

"Lydia, without a doubt, had a family. Whether 
they were servants or children it is not said. One 
thing is certain, they were adults." 

"How do you know that, Mr. Lovetruth ? Are you 
not making the Bible say a thing that cannot be found 
between its two lids ?" 

"I trust not. When Paul and Silas were liberated 
from prison they returned to the house of Lydia and 
saw the brethren and comforted them." 

"Where do you find that?" 

"You will find that in Acts, 16th chapter and 40th 



in Finding a Church Home 53 

verse. It appears that they were male persons, for 
they are called brethren. They were male adults, for 
they could be comforted; and they were male, adult 
believers, for they are spoken of as the brethren. And 
before you call my attention to it I might just as well 
explain the baptism of the jailer and his household, 
which is also found in this same chapter.'' 

"I intended to call that up next." 

"All I know about it, Robert, is what the Word 
says, and that is that the ones baptized all heard the 
word" 

"Where do you find that ?" 

'In verse 32. And not only that, all rejoiced and all 
believed in God." 

"And where is that?" 

"In the 34th verse. So you have hearing, believing, 
rejoicing, as the acts performed by those baptized, and 
certainly you would not call them the acts of infants." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, what do you do with the 
house of Stephanas, baptized by Paul? The ref- 
erence is I. Corinthians 1 :i6. Were there no infants 
in that ?" 

"Not from what the Bible says." 

"But the Bible doesn't say anything." 

"My Bible does. At the 16th chapter and 15th verse 
it is said that they devoted themselves to the 'ministry 
of the saints/ There is nothing infant-like in that." 

"I never knew of more than the one reference to the 
household of Stephanas. And can it be that I have 
been reading into these Scriptures all these years a 
thing that seems so foreign to them?" 

"That is generally the way it goes, Robert, when a 



54 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

person jumps at conclusions or pays more heed to the 
word of man than to the word of God." 

"I believed these things, Mr. Lovetruth, as sincerely 
as you doubt them. Yet wouldn't circumcision be an 
argument in favor of infant baptism? Dr. Augsberg 
says baptism takes the place of circumcision." 

"Where does he find it, Robert?" 

"Were not infants circumcised into the Jewish 
church when eight days old? Now, as there were 
children in the Jewish church so ought there to be in the 
Christian church. Does baptism not bear the same 
relation to the New Testament church that circum- 
cision did to the Jewish church?" 

"Robert, there is a world of difference between 
Christianity and Judaism. The difference is substan- 
tial, fundamental and constitutional. Judaism was a 
religion of works; Christianity is a religion of faith. 
Judaism consisted of forms and ceremonies ; Chris- 
tianity is an inward life. Judaism comprised the whole 
Jewish nation, both the good and the bad. Christianity 
is confined to the regenerated. Paul was the highest 
type of a Jew, circumcised the eighth day and blame- 
less touching the righteousness which is in the law, yet 
he was chief among sinners in the light of the church. 
Nicodemus was a master as a Jew, yet blind as to the 
church. And the trouble the Lord had in converting 
Peter from his Judaistic ideas shows that Christianity 
is not Judaism reconstructed, but a new system of re- 
ligion entirely. Many of the troubles in the church in 
the days of the Apostles sprang from their disposition 
to confound Christianity with Judaism?" 

"What troubles do you refer to?" 



in Finding a Church Home 55 

"The trouble which brought together the great coun- 
cil* at Jerusalem, the trouble** between Paul and 
Peter and the cause for the writing the whole book of 
Galatians. But even if we admitted that baptism came 
in the place of circumcision I must confess that you 
are grossly inconsistent in the practice of it." 

"How do you make that appear, Mr. Lovetruth?" 

"I mean this : the law of circumcision included only 
males, but you baptize infants of both sexes. You bap- 
tize both males and females. The child was to be cir- 
cumcised when eight days old, but you baptize children 
at any age ; the law of circumcision included in its pro- 
visions servants and slaves, but you baptize only chil- 
dren ; the rite of circumcision was to be performed by 
the parents and not the priests, but you have the min- 
ister to do the baptizing; circumcision was performed 
with an instrument, but you baptize with an element ; 
circumcision had a political significance, but baptism 
has a religious significance. So if, as you say, the 
one takes the place of the other, do you not see that 
you only carry out the idea in about one-seventh of its 
particulars. And then you claim to be orthodox. But 
that is only a specimen of the manner in which many 
carry out God's will. He asks for one day out of seven, 
and he gets about one-seventh of every seventh day ; he 
asks for a tenth of our income and we give him about 
one-seventh of a tenth ; he asks us to forgive until 
seventy times seven, and we forgive about ten offenses 
out of every seventy." 

"Then you mean to say that baptism does not take 
the place of circumcision ?" 

*Acts 15:1-35. **Galatians 2:11-21. 



56 Robert IVoodknozi/s Difficulties 

"I mean that exactly, Robert. Circumcision is a 
token of the covenant God made to Abraham, in which 
he promised his offspring the land of Canaan, and it is 
still in force. The Jews are still a separate people and 
circumcision is still their mark. Circumcision is dis- 
tinctly and exclusively Jewish. And since circumcis- 
ion was never taken away baptism could not possibly 
come in place of it." 

"But why oppose it, Mr. Lovetruth? If it does not 
find support in the Bible, what of it? Don't you think 
it is a good thing anyhow, by which to consecrate the 
children to the Lord ?" 

''Nothing is good, Robert, that is in direct variance 
with the word of God. It is an abuse to use baptism 
for purposes of consecration. It is a perversion of the 
right ways of the Lord. Baptism is an act of loving 
obedience for those who have already been made the 
Lord's by faith and consecration. We have no right 
to use anything sacred, except for the purpose for 
which it was intended. Reproof is a good thing for 
the incorrigible, but a believer must never spoil his 
devotions by taking occasion to give the reproof in his 
prayer. Many who pretend to pray do not pray at all. 
They are like the Pharisee at the Temple who used 
his so-called prayer to cast insinuations and epithets at 
the character of the poor publican. Boiling eggs for 
breakfast is a legitimate household act, but the time the 
eggs are to be left in the water should never be gov- 
erned by the time it takes for the singing of a hymn. 
For a merchant to advertise his business there is no 
evil, but if he uses his gifts of charity to accomplish 
the purpose, he is committing a sin. It is a kind act 



in Finding a Church Home 57 

for a nurse to prop up the window to give fresh air to 
the bed-ridden invalid, but the Bible should never be 
used for the prop. Sunday newspapers are a desecra- 
tion of the sacredness of the Sunday, but the minister 
who selects the words, They could not come to him be- 
cause of the press as a text to preach against the evil, 
hurts the Bible more than the papers hurt the day. 
And the church that will use the ordinance of baptism 
for the consecration of infants will hurt the ordinance 
more than they will help the infant. If parents wish to 
consecrate their children, let them do it by prayer, as 
Hannah did and not hide the beautiful significance of a 
most solemn ordinance by prostituting it to another 
use." 

"It does look like a misuse of the ordinance/' Robert 
said half-believingly. "But, Air. Lovetruth, is that 
your only objection ?" 

"Not by any means, Robert. I could furnish you 
no less than six strong arguments against such a prac- 
tice in addition to what I have already said on the 
subject. " 

"May I ask you what the arguments are?" 

"In the first place, Robert, infant baptism is founded 
on a falsehood. It claims to be a gospel ordinance, 
when it is an invention of man. Christ did not ap- 
point it ; the Apostles did not practice it ; the Scriptures 
do not sanction it. In the next place it impugns divine 
wisdom and insults divine authority, because it claims 
to be needful or useful to religion, though Christ, by 
not appointing it when he instituted the church, vir- 
tually declared it to be neither needful nor useful. 
And what right have we to demand of men a thing 



58 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

that finds no command in the Bible? Besides, infant 
baptism deprives Christian converts of the privilege 
of believers' baptism. I meet this over and over again 
in my work. Converts want to be baptized, but hesi- 
tate because of discrediting their earlier baptism — if 
such it may be called— and thus add insult to the act 
of their parents. Furthermore, Robert, it requires 
the officiating minister to declare what is false. He 
says, 'I baptize (immerse) thee/ when the truth is he 
rantizes (sprinkles) and does not baptize at all. And 
how fallacious the statement when the minister asserts 
that in the act the child is 'regenerated and grafted 
into the body of Christ's church/ Nor is it true, as the 
minister prays, 'that it hath pleased thee to regenerate 
this infant with thy Holy Spirit, to receive him for 
thine own child by adoption and to incorporate him 
into thy holy church/ The infant is not 'regenerated,' 
he is not 'adopted/ he is not 'incorporated/ Moreover, 
Robert, infant baptism teaches baptismal regeneration. 
How superficial to suppose that a few T drops of w r ater 
should make a person a child of God. And how awful 
the delusion to allow a child to grow T up under such 
an impression. To make them believe they are sealed 
an heir of heaven and sanctified, when they are still in 
the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity and 
on the broad road to hell is a most shocking crime. In 
the last or sixth place infant baptism in some sense, — 
though its advocates, I know, are not agreed in what 
sense — makes the child a church member and thus 
throws wide open the door of the church to a godless, 
unsanctified, un regenerate membership. Do you not 
see that if infant baptism should quite generally pre- 



in Finding a Church Home 59 

vail that in a generation the church would be made 
up of an unconverted membership, as infant baptism 
makes no provision for regeneration. And, Robert, 
why does Dr. Augsberg not admit children to the 
Communion ? If they have a right to be baptized they 
have also a right to commune. On what law can he 
consistently discriminate? Why admit them to the 
one and debar them from the other?" 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, we do not consider the baptized 
children members of the church until they pass through 
the catechism and are confirmed. " 

"Then, Robert, your position is two-faced. When 
I showed you that infant baptism was not found in 
the Bible, you evaded my argument by saying that it 
followed circumcision. When I showed you the fallacy 
of it taking the place of circumcision, you jumped to 
the idea of consecration, and now when I show that 
it does not consecrate, that it does not admit into 
the church, you say that you do not claim such a thing 
for it. What do you claim? Where do you stand? 
Your position is like the unpunctuated sign over a Lon- 
don barber shop. It read : 

'What do you think 

I'll shave for a penny and give you a drink.' 

Read as an exclamation it encouraged patrons. But 
when gratuitous service was applied for the shrewd 
barber read the sign as a question. The truth is, in- 
fant baptism does not do what is claimed for it. 
Furthermore, if it is biblical it must find its support in 
the rite of circumcision ; if it finds its support in cir- 
cumcsion, then it takes its adherents into the church, 



6o Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

for circumcision was the door into Judaism, and now 
you just admitted -that subjects of infant baptism are 
not regarded as members of the church. Now that ex- 
plodes every bubble of your arguments." 

"I see the weakness of my position. It makes clear 
to me a thing that has been a mystery for several 
years. I see now why Dr. Augsberg's church, with 
its large membership, can never get up a religious in- 
terest. The weakness is within. The church mem- 
bership has never been regenerated. It explains too 
why so many of his church go off into evangelistic 
meetings and are converted there." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, if I am satisfied with having 
been sprinkled, should that not suffice?" 

"That depends, Robert. If you are still living the 
self-life., of course, it will suffice, but, remember, the 
Christ-life is something quite different. For you to 
live, Robert, should be Christ. He should work in 
you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure. If 
self-satisfaction is the limit of your doings your life 
will come very far short of the glory of God. His 
thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are his ways 
our ways. For as the heavens are higher than the 
earth, so are his ways higher than our ways and his 
thoughts than our thoughts. I fear, Robert, that your 
vague conception of what constitutes the Christian 
life will cheat you out of the realization of what God 
purposes by his grace that you should be." 

"What does he purpose?" inquired Robert. 

"Why, that in the ages to come he might show the 
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward 
us through Christ Jesus. Or as he says at another 



in Finding a Church Home 61 

place, according to his good pleasure, which he hath 
purposed in himself, that we should be to the praise 
of his glory. He travailed in the pains of death for 
this. And only, as the prophet says, when he sees of 
the travail of his soul will he be satisfied. And con- 
tentment on our part with anything less than this is a 
dishonor to him. It should be said of us as Jesus 
said of himself, I do always those things that please 
Him." 

"Why is it, then, that Rev. Mr. Liberalview, who 
preaches across on Accommodation street, should take 
the position I do?" 

"I do not know, Robert. Does he take such a posi- 
tion r 

"Why, yes, not long since in addressing a lot of 
young converts he took precisely that position. He 
even went farther than that, he persuaded them not 
to become dissatisfied with their baptism in infancy. 
He was teaching them, I think, from the book of Dis- 
cipline of his church." 

"I thought so, for surely his Bible would not hold 
him out in such statements. Robert, which shall survive 
in you, the Christ life or the Barabbas life of self ? It 
must be one. It can not be both. The one or the other 
must, by our wills, be put to the cross. If we decree 
that the self life shall live, then we crucify the Son of 
God afresh ; or, on the other hand, if we decree that 
Christ shall live in us the hope of glory, then the 
Barabbas life of self must go to the cross. It is for 
you to say, Robert." 

"I am now about convinced that my baptism is not 



62 



Robert Woodknoitfs Difficulties 



valid baptism and feel as though I ought to be baptized 
again." 

"As I expected," said Mr. Lovetruth. "And any 
time" 

"Excuse me, Mr. Lovetruth. I promised to meet a 
friend at 9.30 and it is nearly that time now." 

Robert departed, but not without making arrange- 
ments for a conference one week hence. 



ggflfe 







CHAPTER IV. 

"John also was baptizing in Aenon, near to Salim, because then 
was much water there." — John 3:23. 

PASTOR LOVETRUTH had long wished for 
an opportunity to preach a sermon on bap- 
tism. The opportunity has now come. 
Robert, with many others, was ripe for just such a 
sermon. A large congregation assembled Sunday 
morning. Pastor Lovetruth was at his best. The 
singing, in which the whole congregation joined 
heartily, was fine. And what a prayer Pastor Love- 
truth made. The sixth chapter of Romans was read 
as a Scripture lesson. Pastor Lovetruth seemed almost 
inspired as he read, "Therefore we are buried with him 
by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up 
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we 
also should walk in newness of life. For if we have 
been planted together in the likeness of his death, we 
shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection/' His 
text was Matthew 3:15 — "For thus it becometh us to 
fulfil all righteousness. " In substance he said : 

"Three things demand our consideration. 1. The duty, 
Fulfilling all righteousness. 2. The person on whom the 
duty rests. 'It becometh us/ The pronoun 'us' refers to Jesus 
and John and not to the Scribes and Pharisees whom John 
compared to a generation of vipers. The duty to be baptized 
is never imposed upon unbelievers. 3. The manner in which 
the duty was to be performed. 'Thus it becometh.' Jesus 
came straightway up out of the water when he was baptized. 
But our limited time compels us to drop the first two proposi- 
tions and give our consideration to the third. The word 
'thus' is an adverb. Adverbs with respect to their meaning 



64 Robert Woodknows Difficulties 

and use are divided into five classes: adverbs of time, place, 
cause, manner and degree. Let us then discuss the word 'thus' 
under these five heads. 

I. Let us look at the word 'thus' as an adverb of time. 

Naturally the question would be, When was Jesus baptized? 
The answer is, Not until he was an adult Christ. Baptism then 
can not take the place of circumcision. Jesus was circum- 
cised at the age of eight days; he was baptized at the age 
of thirty years. Why should he submit to both, if, as some 
say, the one takes the place of the other? Is it not providen- 
tially significant that Jesus should wait until manhood to be 
baptized, as though he foresaw that in later years the church 
would fall into the practice of infant baptism, hence he places, 
for our example, his act of baptism as far away from infancy 
as possible. In his circumcision his 'parents did for him aftei 
the law;* in his baptism Jesus fulfilled all righteousness. The 
first was the act of the parents, the second the act of Jesus ; 
the first fulfilled the law, the second fulfilled all righteous- 
ness. Rev. Arthur L. Pierson, D. D., one of the most pop- 
ular, most eloquent, and most learned Presbyterian divines, 
in the front rank of agitators for foreign missions, one of the 
foremost living homilists; author of 'Many Infallible Proofs,' 
'The New Acts of the Apostles,' 'Keys to the Word,' 'Life 
Power/ 'A Modern Miracle,' 'The Crisis of Missions/ etc., 
who sprinkled hundreds of adults and infants and called it 
baptism, was baptized by James A. Spurgeon, at Croydon, 
February, 1896. In his letter to the Presbytery of Philadel- 
phia, of which he was a member, he had this to say : 

'For some years the basis of infant baptism has seemed to 
me too slender, scripturally, and its provision too common 
and too dangerous, practically, to justify any longer adherence 
to the practice. And the obvious example of the believers' 
baptism seems to be too conspicuous in the New Testament 
to leave in my mind a reasonable question that it was my priv- 
ilege thus to confess Christ, and typically submit myself to 
burial with him.' 

Mark it indelibly in your memory, that Jesus was no in- 



in Finding a Church Home 65 

fant when he was baptized and 'thus it becometh us to fulfil 
all righteousness.' 

II. Let us look at the word 'thus' as an adverb of 

PLACE. 

Jesus was baptized in Jordan. The meaning of this is evi- 
dent. Why should he go into the river to have water sprink- 
led or poured upon him, unless we admit as a Texan minister 
told his congregation. He said that the baptizing was not 
done in the river Jordan, but on the other side ; that John led 
the candidate through the river to the opposite side and after 
baptizing him there on the bank, led him back through the 
river and came up out of the water at the place he entered 
the stream. Our enemies will have Jesus nearly immersed 
twice to get him sprinkled once. They are like boys who con- 
nive for two hours to get out of one hour's work. 

John, it is said, 'baptized in y£non, near to Salim, because 
there was much water there.' Now if I should say that my 
wife plants her ferns on the north side of the house because 
there is much shade there, or that she plants her roses on the 
south side of the house because there is much sun there, 
what would you conclude? The only logical, the only sen- 
sible conclusion, would be that much shade was essential to 
the growth of ferns and much sun for the growth of roses. 
And shall we conclude that anything but much water is es- 
sential to the proper administration of baptism? Sprinkling 
or pouring only requires a little water. And did not Philip 
and the Eunuch both go down into the stream? 'Thus it 
becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.' 

III. Let us look at the word 'thus' as an adverb of 

CAUSE. 

Why did Jesus submit to baptism? It was to fulfil all 
righteousness. A believer has not filled full his cup of 
obedience until he has been down in the water and been im- 
mersed. But baptism means more. 1. It is a public profes- 
sion of a Christian life. 'For as many of you as have been 
baptized into Christ have put on Christ.' 2. It is a confession 
R W— 5 



66 Robert Woodknowfs Difficulties 

of the believer's death to sin. 'Shall we continue in sin that 
grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are 
dead to sin live any longer therein. Know ye not that so 
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized 
into his death.' 3. It is a profession of a new life also. 'We 
are buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ 
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even 
so we also should walk in newness of life.' 4. It is a symbol 
of a burial and resurrection. 'Buried with him in baptism, 
wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the 
operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead/ 'If 
we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, 
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection/ 

It may be noted that Christ's act had naught to do with 
him Sonship or relation. He was not baptized to be made the 
Son of God, but because he was the Son of God. Paul did 
not pray or preach to work his way into the kingdom, but 
because those things were part of the new life. So baptism 
is not an initiatory rite by which man is brought into the 
kingdom, but an act of righteousness of one that is already 
in the kingdom. Children of wrath can not perform works 
of righteousness. It is folly to preach baptismal regeneration. 
Jesus was the Son of God before baptism. 'Thus it becometh 
us to fulfil all righteousness/ 

IV. Let us u)ok at the word 'thus' as an adverb 0? 

MANNER. 

The word baptize, properly speaking, is a Greek word and 
is adapted to the English language by a change in its termina- 
tion. If translated it would everywhere appear immerse. 
Suppose the New Testament originally had been written in 
German the word would have been taufe. Now taufe means 
to immerse. And suppose that in the translation of the Bible 
that that word would not have been translated, we would 
then read, He that believeth and is getauft shall be saved. 
Would you ever hear people then speak about being getauft 
by sprinkling. Never. It would be absurd. And yet they 
talk about being baptized (immersed) by sprinkling. They 



in Finding a Church Home 67 

forget, too, that the committee, as is asserted, that translated 
the Bible from the Greek under King James of England, fear- 
ed to translate the word baptizo for fear of offending his 
Majesty, the King. 

The word baptize calls for the submerging of the candidate 
in the water and the action can not be performed in any way 
that falls short of this condition. The Bible knows nothing 
else. The Greek word 'baptizo' is used seventy times in the 
New Testament, and every time in connection with baptism. 
It has three meanings and no more, viz : to plunge, to sub- 
merge, to bury. (Can you make sprinkle or pour out of 
either?) The Greek word "Keo" means to pour and is used 
fourteen times in the New Testament, but never once in con- 
nection with baptism. The Greek word "rantizo" means to 
sprinkle, and is used four times in the New Testament, but 
not in connection with baptism. 

Now if Christ and the Apostles meant for us to sprinkle 
or pour for baptism, why did they not once in seventy times 
use the word sprinkle or pour? But they did not. There is 
not one instance of sprinkling man, woman or child in the 
New Testament. 

Rev. Dr. John Robinson, pastor of the City Temple, Glas- 
gow, Scotland, an eminent and gifted Presbyterian divine, 
was immersed some years ago and soon after preached a 
powerful sermon on baptism, which resulted in the scriptural 
baptism of numbers of his congregation. He declared that 
immersion only failed of adoption in the first Presbyterian 
general assembly by one vote, and that it was favored by 
John Knox, the celebrated reformer. 

There is an inward consciousness and attestation to this 
truth even by those whose prejudice denounces it. A 
Methodist preacher in Texas was receiving several candi- 
dates into his church. To the question, 'How will you be 
baptized?' some replied, 'By sprinkling;' others, 'By pouring/ 
The last person was a good sister, who replied, 'Just like 
Jesus was.' The preacher said, 'You misunderstand me; how 
will you be baptized?' Again she answered, 'Just like Jesus 
was.' 'But you don't understand me; by what mode will you 



68 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

be baptized?' 'Just as Jesus was.' The disturbed preacher 
said, 'Brethren, we will have to take her to the creek.' 

V. Let us look at the word 'thus' as an adverb of de- 
gree. 

It was a small thing for Aaron's sons to offer common fire 
to the Lord when he had commanded holy fire. But the 
judgment was swift and terrible. In a moment the two sons 
of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, la}' dead before the Lord. It 
seemed a trifling thing for David, though done with all rever- 
ence, to place the ark on a new cart in bringing it back to 
Jerusalem, when the Lord had declared with perfect plain- 
ness that the sons of Kohath should bear it upon their 
shoulders. Trouble soon followed. The oxen stumbled. 
Uzzah, in all sincerity, put forth his hand to steady the Ark. 
It was wrong. It was an act of explicit disobedience. No 
one was permitted to touch the Ark, not even the sons of 
Kohath, who were divinely appointed to bear it. 'The anger 
of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him 
there for his error and there he died by the Ark of God? It 
was a small thing for Moses to smite the rock the second 
time when the Lord had expressly commanded him to speak 
to it. But it kept him out of the Promised Land. That Rock 
was Christ. So the sin of Moses was more than the differ- 
ence between speaking and smiting. His disobedience mis- 
represented Christ. The act marred the typical picture of 
Christ's life as given in the prophesies and gospels. The 
Jews were first to smite Christ, then after that men were 
only to speak to Him and the waters of salvation would 
come forth. There might be a paltry excuse for the act of 
Moses. He did not see, nor know, the things that the acts 
of his life were to foreshadow. But we know. There .is no 
excuse for us. We know that Jesus was buried and rose 
again. We know that baptism is to symbolize this fact. The 
sin, then, of sprinkling a little water on the head and calling 
it baptism is more than the difference between a little water 
and much water. Like the sin of Moses, it misrepresents 
Christ. It mars the symbol of a resurrection, the crowning 



in Finding a Church Home 69 

act in the life of Jesus. Our obedience must be perfect to a 
degree. His will must be done on earth as it is done in 
heaven. It dare not be a little water when he says 'much 
water;' not near the water when he says in the water; not a 
sprinkling when he says a 'burial/ not a pouring when he 
says a 'planting/ Nor dare it be a trine immersion when he 
calls for a single baptism. And 'thus it becometh us to ful- 
fil all righteousness.' " 

At the conclusion of the service Pastor Lovetruth 
announced that, in all probability, there would be a 
baptismal service next Sunday, and that those desiring 
to be baptized should make it known before next Wed- 
nesday, so that a definite announcement could be made 
at that time. At the close of the service several per- 
sons expressed their willingness to be baptized. 



The expression on Robert Woodknow's face when 
he appeared at the parsonage Monday evening border- 
ed almost on the painful. It was a sign of a desperate 
inward struggle. Mr. Lovetruth's penetrating eyes 
caught the expression at once. Mr. Lovetruth is a 
student of human nature and his calling furnishes him 
all the needed opportunities for such a study. 

"What's the matter, Robert? Are you not well?" 
inquired Pastor Lovetruth. 

"Why — yes ; — what makes you ask me that?" 

"You seem not like yourself at all. Your face is the 
personification of distress. At service yesterday the 
pathos of your expression appealed so strongly to my 
feelings that at times my thoughts were more on you 
than on what I was saying." 

"To be frank, Mr. Lovetruth, my conscience has 



yo Robert Woodknoztfs Difficulties 

been ill at ease ever since last Monday evening. I at- 
tended service yesterday with the hope of finding some- 
thing that would ease my mind, but your sermon only 
aggravated my condition. The more my mind dwells 
on the subject the less valid my baptism appears. I 
see now that my baptism was more an act of my 
parents than my own. I see also how my parents 
could not possibly perform acceptably an act which 
the Lord requires of me." 

"I looked for this, Robert. The sincerity of your 
interest in these things could not help but bring you to 
the truth. And as an evidence that you were not 
scripturally baptized is your troubled conscience, for 
baptism is the answer of a good conscience towards 
God. And you are only one of a very large class like 
you. Hundreds and hundreds have become dissatis- 
fied with having been sprinkled in infancy, and in 
later years have demanded a rebaptism. So strong 
is this tide that one of the great pedo-baptist bodies 
at its general conference decided that the ordinance 
should be re-administered in cases where it is demand- 
ed.* Now, for a body to take such a stand, their first 
position must either be faulty biblically or their sin- 
cerity questionable in the second place. If infant bap- 
tism is right, then they only rebaptize to hold a mem- 
bership. If they are sincere in rebaptizing then they 
openly admit that infant baptism is neither scriptural 
nor satisfactory." 

"I should like to give my name for baptism next 
Sunday, Mr. Lovetruth, but I can not get the consent 
of my will to go into the water." 

*M. E. General Conference at Clereland, Ohio. 



in Finding a Church Home 71 

"I never knew of a living man that liked the grave. 
Nor have I ever known of a dead man resisting burial." 

"What do you mean, Mr. Lovetruth?" 

"I mean this, Robert: Have you not been crucified 
with Christ? Are you not dead with him? If so, it 
is not in your place to fight against being buried 
with him. When the soldiers went to the cross they 
found Jesus dead and ready for burial. With the 
thieves it was different. Now, Robert, are you dead 
with Christ, or alive with the thieves? Which is it, 
Robert?" 

"If I should have you sprinkle me again, would it 
not ease my conscience? Does the Bible have nothing 
at all to say about sprinkling ?" 

"You surprise me, Robert. Your troubled con- 
science is the result of two errors. In the first place, 
you were baptized at the wrong time and in the sec- 
ond place, in the wrong way. Suppose you were ill 
and your physician demanded a certain sum of money 
in advance for a cure, with the understanding that 
the money would be refunded if, by following his in- 
structions, there was no cure. Say the instructions 
were a plunge in a stream of water after each noon 
day meal for two weeks. Now if you rubbed your- 
self with water before the meal instead of the plunge 
into the water after the meal and the cure was not 
effected, do you think you could demand the refund- 
ing of the money?" 

"No, I think not." 

"So with your baptism. Jesus tells us to believe and 
be baptized. You were baptized first and believed 
some years after. He commands baptism in water. 



72 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

but your baptism was the application of water to you. 
That is why I say there are two defects in your bap- 
tism." 

"But would the Scriptures justify me in being bap- 
tized again?" 

"I think so. Invalid baptism is the same as no bap- 
tism at all. In Acts 19 there is a record of twelve dis- 
ciples who were baptized by John and rebaptized by 
Paul. The weakness in their baptism, however, was 
not in the manner, for they were immersed by John, 
but rather in the time ; they were baptized before they 
believed." 

"What do you understand by John's baptism?" 
"In a sense it was a preliminary act. Just as a min- 
ister would go into a new community to prepare the 
way for a church organization. He would get the 
consent and names of prospective members, persons 
who would promise to unite at the time a church was 
organized. Later he would go into that community 
again and effect the organization. So 'Jo nn verily bap- 
tized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the 
people that they should believe on him which should 
come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus?' John, by 
baptism, got their consent that they zvould believe. 
When Jesus came they believed and gave their names 
again in baptism." 

"I never had that made so clear to me before." 
"Robert, if you only knew it, you are ready for bap- 
tism now. The Bible says, 'One Lord, one faith, one 
baptism.' We might just as well have a plurality of 
gods as a plurality of baptisms. He that says one Lord 



in Finding a Church Home 73 

says also one baptism. The only question then is to 
find that one baptism.'' 

"That's where the trouble is." 

"Not so much trouble. Let me give you a little 
parable. If there was set before you three pieces of 
metal. Of the first piece a few T people agreed that it 
was gold; of the second piece about one-half agreed 
that it was gold, but of the third piece everybody de- 
clared it to be solid gold, which piece w r ould you take 
if you had your choice of the three?" 

"Piece No. 3, of course." 

"Why don't you do the same with baptism? Of 
sprinkling some say it is baptism ; of pouring a few 
more agree that it is baptism, but everybody agrees that 
immersion is valid baptism. " 

"But why insist so strenuously on immersion?" 

"You misunderstand me, Robert. It is not immer- 
sion or much water that I insist on. If the difference 
between immersionists and sprinklers was only the dif- 
ference of the amount of water the difference would be 
small indeed, and it would be folly to raise a dispute 
over it. It is not a question of amount of water for 
which I plead, but the divinely appointed use of the 
water. If to sprinkle required as much water as to 
immerse, or if immersion required as little water as 
sprinkling, the difference would still exist. The com- 
mand to baptize is a command to immerse, hence when 
we insist on immersion it must not be thought of as a 
question of much water, but a question of obedience." 

"Well, but don't it say somewhere, 'According to 
your faith be it unto you ?' " 

"Where does it say that, Robert?" 



74 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

"Somewhere in the Bible, doesn't it?" 

"Just as usual. People who misconstrue Scripture 
seldom know where to find it. They don't want to 
know. The words you refer to are found in Matthew 
9:29 and were spoken to two blind men. Now blind- 
ness and baptism are as different as day and night. 
The only thing in which the two are alike is in the 
spelling of the two words ; they both begin with the 
letter b. The blind man's faith was not to govern 
his acts toward the Lord, but the Lord's acts toward 
the blind man. You turn everything around. But you 
must, for when you reverse the action of baptism and 
apply the water to the person instead of the person to 
the water it is necessary to pervert the Scriptures to 
fit it. You might apply the same thing to other Chris- 
tian duties. You could as well say, I don't believe in 
prayer and then accept your faith as the rule of your 
devotions ; or you might say, I don't believe in reading 
the Bible and then use your faith as your rule for 
Bible study. What man is to be to God is not gov- 
erned by his faith. It is governed by his word. But 
the blessings of God to us are always measured by 
our faith and obedience to Him. To tell you in un- 
varnished terms, there is no more destructive doc- 
trine outside of Hell than that which makes man's 
faulty faith the measure of his duty to God. It is the 
doctrine of devils. It utterly ignores the will of the 
Lord and makes every man, in matters of religion, a 
law unto himself." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, if a man were sincere in his 
belief." 

"The heathen are sincere. Is Paganism right ? The 



in Finding a Church Home 75 

people of Baal on Mt. Carmel were sincere. Were 
they right? Just think! ambassadors of Christ, com- 
missioned to preach the word of the Lord, whose word 
must be accepted without questionings and whose word 
will stand forever, going about telling the people, 'Oh, 
it makes no difference what you believe, just so you are 
sincere/ It does make a difference. Let us see. A 
family was poisoned in Montgomery County last year, 
by eating toadstools, which they sincerely believed to 
be mushrooms. Three of them died. Did it make no 
difference? A man endorsed a note for a friend whom 
he sincerely believed to be an honest man. The friend 
was a scoundrel, and left him to pay the note. Did it 
make no difference? A traveler takes the train going 
North, sincerely believing it to be the Southern train. 
Will it make no difference ?" 

"Why is it that this theory is so popular ?" 

"I don't know, unless it is a sign of the near ap- 
proach of the Lord's coming. There will be other 
evils about as bad become very popular just before 
the Lord comes. But never mind, all these the Lord 
will consume with the spirit of his mouth and the 
brightness of his coming." 

"But does it not say at one place in the Bible 'bap- 
tized with water' and would that not imply the appli- 
cation of the water to the person ?" 

"Robert, you have struck a very technical point of 
this subject. What you speak of can be found at no 
less than six different places* in the Bible, but all refer 
to the same thing. The trouble is, so many people read 
their Bible, but do not study it. You will find that in 

*Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:26, 33; Acts 1:5; 11-16. 



j6 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

each instance the reference 'baptized with water' is 
used in contradistinction with the baptism of the Holy 
Ghost. These are about the words : 'I indeed have 
baptized you with water, but he shall baptize you with 
the Holy Ghost.' The references refer, you see, to the 
element and not to the action of the ordinance. If I 
should say that the United States Government tested 
their new rifles with one-half inch steel plate, would 
you suppose the steel plates were shot at the guns ?" 

"Of course not. I'd be a fool if I did. It would 
mean that they did not test them with wood, or some 
other substance." 

"Then why do you add to the meaning of the word 
'with' in reference to baptism? It means that John's 
baptism was water baptism and not Holy Ghost bap- 
tism. When the action of John's baptism is referred 
to it is, 'John baptized in Jordan/ Moreover, Robert, 
if you look up the Greek word for the preposition 'with' 
you will find it in every instance to be 'en, 9 which 
means in and which very appropriately precedes the 
element into which something has been baptized, w 7 hich 
I have already shown." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, you will not get impatient with 
me if I ask for an explanation of one more thing. If 
I take another step in this matter I want to be fully con- 
vinced that I'm right. I never want to undergo again 
the remorse of conscience I suffered the past week." 

"What do you want explained?" 

"Why, does not the Bible say, referring to Pente- 
cost, that the Lord will 'pour oat of his spirit in those 
days,' and at another place is not the same event called 
a baptism? Now, isn't that an argument in favor of 



in Finding a Church Home J*j 

pouring for baptism ? Does not the word baptism, as 
used in the Scriptures, stand with that class of words 
as kill, destroy, remove, etc. ? Xow, there are very 
many ways to kill, to destroy or to remove. It is the 
end that is to be accomplished. Would not the same 
thing, then, hold good in baptism? If it does, then it 
doesn't matter how a person is baptized, just so the 
ertd to be reached in baptism is accomplished. " 

"At first sight your argument would seem to have 
some force. But a closer investigation will show 7 that 
your arguments are of a suicidal nature. Let us ad- 
mit, then, that the word stands with such words as 
'kill' and 'destroy/ and that it does not matter how 
you kill or destroy, just so the end is accomplished. 
The end, then, to be accomplished in the ordinance is 
the baptism of the believer, which means the submerg- 
ing of the body in water. Now, if you want w r ater 
sprinkled or poured on you until you are submerged 
in the element, you may adopt that way, but I would 
prefer to be 'buried with him in baptism.' Xow, you 
people who sprinkle, why do you stop short of the 
'end to be accomplished' when you take another 
method? If you will look at Acts 2:2 you will find 
that when the Lord baptized with the Spirit by pour- 
ing he did not stop until the Spirit 'filled all the house 
where they were sitting/ They were covered. Why 
don't you people, who pour, follow the Spirit in the ac- 
complishment of the end of baptism?" 

"I see it is no use to argue with you ; you take ad- 
vantage of me every time." 

"I resent that statement, Robert. I am not taking 
advantage of you. I am dealing with you as I must 



78 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

give an account at the last day. If you still think that 
baptism by sprinkling is taught in the Bible, suppose*, 
that we each take a Bible and see if it is possible to 
read it into the Bible text. You try and read sprink- 
ling into it and I will try to read immersion into it r 
and we will see which one makes sense. Suppose you 
read Ephesians 4:5." 

Robert read : " 'One Lord, one faith, one sprink- 
ling?'" 

Pastor Lovetruth read: " 'One Lord, one faith, one 
immersion/ Now," said Mr. Lovetruth, "which makes 
the better sense ?" 

"Your reading of it, to be sure." 

"Now take John 3 :23." 

Robert read : " 'And John also was sprinkling in 
^non, near to Salim, because there was much wate** 
there/ " 

"Now I will read it: 'John ^ so was immersing in 
^Enon, near to Salim, because there was much water 
there/ Do you see the horrible sense sprinkling makes 
of the Scriptures and how beautifully immersion har- 
monizes with baptism? Now get Romans 6:3 and 4/' 

Robert found what it was and said, "It's of no use 
to read it." 

"Yes, Robert, read it." 

Then he read, " 'Know ye not, that so many of us 
as were sprinkled into Jesus Christ were sprinkled into 
his death? Therefore we are buried with him by 
sprinkling/ " 

"Robert, I would be ashamed of the English lang- 
uage if it did not make better sense than that. Do you 
not see that the only way to sprinkle a person would • 



in Finding a Church Home 79 

be to first grind him to powder or by some chemical 
process convert him into a liquid. You can't sprinkle 
objects. Now let me read it. 'Know ye not, that so 
many of us as were immersed into Jesus Christ were 
immersed into his death. Therefore we are buried 
with him by immersion/ But get" 

"No, I shall not get another reference/' interrupted 
Robert. "I see that it matters not in what light the 
subject is viewed the weight of the argument is 
strongly in favor of immersion. I shall be baptized 
next Sunday if I am the only one. And to make sure 
this time the work is complete I want you to immerse 
me three times, in the name of the Father, and in the 
name of the Son, and in the name of the Holy Ghost. I 
made a failure once and I want to avoid a repetition 
of it." 

"Now you are going to extremes. The disciples who 
baptized under the great commission* baptized in the 
name of the Lord. Let me read you a clipping from 
my scrap book: 

In the early ages of the Christian church, a controversy- 
arose concerning the doctrine of the Trinity. Some Christian 
ministers who wished to emphasize the idea of three distinct 
persons in the God-head, began to baptize believers in the 
name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, giving one immer- 
sion for each person in the Trinity. 

This was the origin of Triune immersion. This contro- 
versy has long since come to an end, but the errors then in- 
troduced have not ceased. Now I consider Trine immersion 
a very serious offense against the Trinity. To misrepresent 
man is sin; but what shall be said of those who destroy the 

Acts 2 : 38 ; 10 : 48. 



So Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

unity of the Trinity by separation and misrepresentation? 
Every time a believer is baptized by Trine immersion, these 
two things are done, namely : the unity of the Trinity is de- 
stroyed, and the Father and the Holy Ghost are misrepre- 
sented. On the other hand, every time a believer is baptized 
by a single immersion, the unity of the Trinity is recognized, 
and the three persons in the Trinity properly represented. 

Let us see how Trine Immersionists, from their own stand- 
point (Trinitarian), misrepresent God the Father and God 
the Holy Ghost. 

Paul says in Romans 6 13, 'Know ye not, that so many of 
us as were baptized into Jesus Christ (not into the Father or 
into the Holy Ghost) were baptized into his death?' 

Therefore, we are buried with him (Christ, not any other 
person in the Trinity) by baptism into death ; that like as 
Christ (not the Father or the Holy Ghost) was raised up from 
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should 
walk in newness of life.' 

Now, baptism, according to this Scripture, is a symbol or 
representation of the burial and resurrection of Christ. Mark 
the person referred to, Christ. Not a symbol of the burial and 
resurrection of the first person in the Trinity; or a figure of 
the burial and resurrection of the Holy Ghost, the third per- 
son in the Trinity. Only one person of the Trinity died; only 
one person of the Trinity was buried ; only one person of the 
Trinity arose from the dead. Those who baptize by Trine 
immersion represent what certainly never occurred. They 
introduce in symbolic form, three deaths, three burials, and 
three resurrections. They represent God the Father as being 
dead, buried and resurrected, which is not a fact. They rep- 
resent God the Holy Ghost as being dead, buried and resur- 
rected, which is not a fact. They act two lies and one truth 
(to use their own language about others). They lay much 
stress upon the formula, Matt. 28:19, "Baptizing them in the 
name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost," and 
little stress on the facts to be represented. Surely this is no 
trivial offense, but a solemn and serious matter. In addi- 
tion to this, it is a fact that Christ was not baptized three 



in Finding a Church Home 81 

times. He was not three times crucified. He was not three 
times buried. He was not three times resurrected from the 
dead. Believers do not die thrice; are not buried thrice, and 
will not be resurrected thrice. Paul says : There is one 
body (not three), one Lord (not three), one faith (not three; 
and one baptism (not three). What, then, is the true Scrip- 
tural act of baptism? In answer, by the single immersion 
backward of the believer, in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, because this represents what 
actually occurred. Three persons and one act. It recognizes 
the unity of the Trinity in the person of the Father, Son and 
Holy Ghost, and baptizes the believer in the likeness of the 
death and the resurrection of one person in the Trinity, 
namely, the Son. Three persons in the Trinity, one burial 
and one resurrection. This is proper and Scriptural baptism. 
Not a mode, but the very act of baptism itself.' * 

"That will suffice/' said Robert. "But before I go 
may I ask you to pray for me that my faith may be 
kept steady until next Sunday.''' 

"We will pray now,"' said Pastor Lovetruth. The} 
spent a season together in prayer before they parted, 
in which Robert got a foretaste of the power of Christ's 
resurrection. Just as Robert was leaving Pastor 
Lovetruth slipped a clipping into his hand, and said, 
"Read that, Robert, at your leisure. ' ? The clipping 
contained ten facts on baptism, as follows : 

i. They went out. Matthew says, "Then went out unto 
him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about 
Jordan, and they were baptized of him." 

2. They went to much water. This is the record in John 
3:23. 

3. They went to the river (Matt. 3:6). 

4. They went down into the water. This is recorded of 
Philip and the eunuch (Acts 8:38). 

*The clipping is from the pen of Pastor G. W. Getz. 
R W— 6 



82 Robert Woodknoix/s Difficulties 

5. The person baptized was buried. This is Paul's general 
testimony — "We were buried, therefore, with him through 
baptism" (Rom. 6:4). 

6. Buried in the likeness of Christ's death (Rom. 6:5). 

7. The body was washed (Heb. 10:22). 

8. The candidate was raised out of the water (Col. 2:12). 

9. They came up out of the water after the baptism (Acts 
8:38, 39). 

10. They came into the house after baptism (Acts 16:33-4). 




CHAPTER V. 

"Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.'* — John 2:5. 

SUNDAY, the day set for the baptismal service, 
dawned rather hazily upon Ismville, but be- 
fore the sun had reached the meridian he 
was shining in all his beauty and splendor. Three 
p. m. was the time set for the service. Long before 
that hour the crowd began to gather, until either bank 
of the stream for about one hundred yards was gay 
with the pretty gowns of the fair sex, speckled at in- 
tervals with the conventional black of the men. The 
church, headed by Pastor Lovetruth, came to the 
stream in a body. Among the group were nearly a 
dozen candidates for baptism, mostly young ladies. It 
was only a minute or two until a hymn was started. 
The hymn was in beautiful harmony with the willing 
discipleship of those about to follow their Lord in the 
most impresive and significant of all ordinances. You 
could hear Sister Dulcet's alto voice and Brother Rich- 
tone's tenor above the rest, as they sang, — 

''He leadeth me ! oh ! blessed thought, 

Oh ! words with heavenly comfort fraught ; 

Whate'er I do, where'er I be, 

Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me." 

In his prayer Pastor Lovetruth thanked God for the 
young manhood and womanhood willing to follow in 
the steps of Jesus. He prayed for the opening of the 
heavens and the descent of the Spirit. He invoked the 
special blessings of grace for the candidates, that in 
rising from the symbolic grave it might be to walk in 
newness of life. One by one was led into the stream 



84 Robert Woodknoixfs Difficulties 

and baptized. But among the number none was so 
distinguished as Robert Woodknow. All eyes were 
turned upon him. He was a stranger to the multitude. 
To the church he was known by the conversations 
which had taken place between him and their pastor. 
There was a calmness about his appearance that 
showed a positive inward peace. A verse of "Where 
he leads me I will follow" was sung between the bap- 
tism of each candidate. Robert was led into the stream 
as they sang, 

"Though he leads me. through deep waters, 
Though he leads me through deep waters, 
Though he leads me through deep waters, 
I'll go with him, with him all the way." 

He stood in the water without a tremor. There was 
no resistance now ; no rebellion of the will, no, not in 
the least. He had been to the cross. He was crucified 
with Christ. He was dead to the world and the world 
was dead to him. He was a most happy subject to be 
buried with Christ by baptism. And what a glow 
on his countenance as Pastor Lovetruth raised him 
from the water. Quickly the Spirit went from heart 
to heart. It was that deep spirituality, that melting 
feeling, that only finds expression in the silent shedding 
of tears. Back on the bank, leaning against a tree, 
was Father Kindheart. He had faced the storms of 
sixty or more winters. The locks of hair that once 
profusely decked his brow had grown white and thin. 
He trembled with emotion. Tears flowed in quick suc- 
cession down his cheeks. There was a quiver of his 
lips, as though an Amen or a Bless the Lord was striv- 
ing for expression. There was no levity or unbecom- 



in Finding a Church Home 85 

ing conduct. The presence of the Lord had seized the 
sinners with a strange fear. To Robert Woodknow 
the event was the answer of a good conscience. His 
conscience will never be ill at ease over the question 
again. It was there settled for all time. And the 
people of Ismville will never forget the baptismal ser- 
vice at which Robert Woodknow was baptized. 

In the evening the church met in the Bethel and 
observed the ordinances of the washing of the saints' 
feet and the Lord's Supper. Pastor Lovetruth read 
the first seventeen verses of the thirteenth chapter of 
John as a Scripture lesson, after which he made the 
following remarks : 

You may wonder that I read this portion of Scripture at each 
ordinance meeting. You need not wonder. I heard of a 
minister who, for a number of weeks, preached on the sin of 
stealing. The subject grew monotonous to his hearers. At 
last one of his elders mustered up sufficient courage to ask 
for a reason for such a course. Says he to his pastor, 
"Brother, how is it that you preach always on the sin of 
stealing?" The minister replied, "Just as soon as you quit 
stealing I will quit preaching on it." The reading of this 
chapter of God's holy word may grow monotonous to some, 
but just as soon as every child of his obeys it I will quit read- 
ing it. And nothing would give me more pleasure than to 
find no occasion for bringing these duties to your remem- 
brance at each ordinance meeting. 

I want to place tnis chapter just where Jesus placed it. Mr. 
Moody in his works tells of a gentleman in New York that 
had a wicked son. By his waywardness he had sent his gray- 
haired mother to the grave with a broken heart. One night 
as the boy was about to go out the father begged him to stay 
with him, saying, "You have not spent one evening at home 



86 Robert Woodknozzfs Difficulties 

since your mother died. Will you not stay one night with 
me?" "No," said the boy, "I will not." Then the father 
threw himself down over the threshold of the open door, and 
said, "My son, you are stronger than I, but you shall not go 
out to-night unless you go over my poor old body." And the 
wicked son leaped over his father's body and rushed away in 
the darkness to his old companions in sin. Friends, you are 
stronger than I. You have the power to disobey what I 
may tell you to-night. You may exercise your right as a free 
moral agent. I can not compel you to do what you de- 
liberately and wilfully decide not to do. It is the law that 
compels. But we are not under the law, but under grace. 
And grace constrains. But this I will do : I will place this 
part of the 13th chapter of John over the threshold of the 
door to the Communion, the place where Jesus put it, so that 
if you come to the Communion without first washing feet you 
will have to step over this plain command of Jesus to do so. 

I recall distinctly how that when but a youth my pastor, 
Dr. Long, in speaking on this ordinance, said, "Suppose there 
were twelve ministers on this front pew, representing the 
twelve leading sects or denominations in Christendom, and 
suppose that Jesus had washed their feet and wiped them 
with a towel and then after having performed this duty he 
should say to these twelve men : 'Know ye zvhat I have done to 
yon? Ye call me Master and Lord and ye say well, for so I 
am. If 1 then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, 
ye also ought to zvash one another's feet. For I have given 
you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.' 
What would be the impression on the minds of these twelve 
men? Could they come to any other conclusion except that 
Jesus intended to teach them that it was his will that they 
should literally wash one another's feet?" 

It appears to me at times that modern Christianity is trying 
to see how little it can do for its Lord and still get through 
safely. You no doubt have heard the story of the king that 
sought for a horseman. A number of persons applied for 
the position. Of each applicant he inquired how near to the 
edge of a wall he could drive with safety. One said 6 feet, 



in Finding a Church Home 87 

another 4 feet, another 2 feet, and one as close as a few inches. 
Finally one said that he would keep as far away from the 
edge as possible. This is the one that was chosen by the 
king. The Lord wants the men that will keep as far away 
from the line of disobedience as is possible. Shame on the 
Christianity that will give to its Lord its insignificant least 
when his salvation is to the uttermost. Over and above his 
having saved us he gives us exceeding abundantly above all 
that we ask or think, while too often we ask and think how 
little we can give him in return and still enjoy his favor. 

If Jesus were present with us in person to-night each one 
of us would unhesitatingly engage in this simple and impres- 
sive service. But he is not here. And his absence puts each 
man upon his own honor. Will we take advantage of his ab- 
sence? The want of his presence does not lesson the respon- 
sibility. That eye that never slumbers nor sleeps is looking 
down upon us to-night to see if we will be true to our honor. 
And some day we must meet him face to face, when the 
secrets of men's hearts shall be revealed, and our whole life 
will then confront us. How little will the fear of man, that 
causeth a snare, then appear. How insignificant will seem the 
mocks and scoffs of a cruel world when viewed in the light 
of his blessed face. And though we may prove untrue, yet 
still he abideth faithful. 

It may be that some of us do not fully understand the sig- 
nificance of this ordinance. And while I believe that I under- 
stand something of its meaning, yet I do not understand all. 

"God moves in a mysterious way 

His wonders to perform, 
He plants his footsteps in the sea 

And rides upon the storm." 

But he does not say that if ye understand these things. "If 
ye knozv these things, happy are ye if ye do them." Abraham 
did not understand why God called him to offer up his son. 
But he obeyed. Naaman did not understand why it was nec- 
essary to dip seven times in the river Jordan to be cleansed of 
his leprosy, when Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus. 



88 Robert Woodknou/s Difficulties 

were so much better than the waters of Israel. But he found 
it best to obey. Joshua did not understand why it was nec- 
essary to compass the walls of Jericho for seven days in suc- 
cession. But it paid him to obey. 

"Trust and obey, 

For there's no other way 
To be happy in Jesus 

But to trust and obey." 

Robert Woodknow was present, but occupied a seat 
far in the rear. He had never so much as witnessed 
the observance of the washing of the saints' feet. It 
was a new scene to hirn. But he took no part. As 
the church engaged in the ordinance there was a 
seriousness in his look, well mixed with wonder. His 
mind was a chaos. He suspended judgment, for the 
Scripture lesson read by Pastor Lovetruth endorsed the 
ordinance in no uncertain language. At the close of 
the service Pastor Lovetruth, as usual, took his place 
at the door to get a shake of the hand of each one pres- 
ent. Robert was one of the last to take the pastor's 
hand. "How is this, Robert ?" Pastor Lovetruth said, 
as he took a firm grasp of Robert's hand. "Why didn't 
you join with us in the ordinances?" 

"It's hard to tell why. One reason, I suppose, is 
that the service is new to me. The chief reason is that 
I cannot altogether see the necessity of it." 

"Just as I thought when I saw you coming in and 
taking a rear seat. Have you time, Robert, to walk 
over to the parsonage for awhile?" 

"I shall be pleased to go with you." 

Few words passed between them on their way over. 
Each realized that there was before them a subject 



in Finding a Church Home 89 

equally as great as the two already discussed. Mrs. 
Lovetruth and her neighbor, Mrs. Helpful, followed 
close after. They were having some trouble with Alia, 
the minister's little daughter, who had fallen asleep 
during service. 

"Mr. IyOvetruth," said Robert, when they reached 
the parsonage, which was only a few squares away 
from the Bethel, "do the churches of God really be- 
lieve in the literal washing of the saints' feet ?" 

"Of course, how else would you observe it, if not 
literally?" 

"I take the thirteenth chapter of John spiritually." 

"I can't see how you do that, unless you are some- 
thing of a disciple of Swedenborg. He taught that at 
death the spirit withdrew from the material body, and 
that it still retained the human form, with feet, hands 
and other bodily organs and senses far more acute than 
those of the body. But I never saw the spiritual feet 
of a saint, have you? We observe that ordinance just 
as we observe any other. We literally baptize. We 
literally partake of the bread and wine in the commun- 
ion. Why should we not literally wash one another's 
feet ? How would you observe it spiritually ?" 

"W-e-1-1 I h-a-r-d-1-y" 

"You want to say you hardly know. Nor does any- 
one else know. The truth is, people who observe it 
spiritually do not observe it at all. They ignore it. I 
guess those men of whom James speaks, who had faith 
and not works, had their works spiritually. It is all 
nonsense to speak of observing the washing of the 
saints' feet spiritually. And I am surprised that a 



■po Robert IVaodknow's Difficulties 

young man of your intelligence should betray such 
ignorance." 

"I never gave the matter any thought. I heard 
others say these things, but never considered the sub- 
ject much for myself. I always supposed that in 
washing his disciples' feet Jesus was following an old 
Jewish custom." 

"What custom do you refer to, Robert?" 

"Why, that custom in which the host washed the 
feet of the guest, just as Jesus did for his disciples/' 

"To the law and testimony, Robert. You take the 
concordance and I will take the Bible and I will read 
for you all the verses you find in which the custom of 
washing one another's feet is found." 

"Here with the concordance and I will find you a 
number." He got the word in the concordance and 
told Pastor Lovetruth to get Genesis 18:14. 

"Here it is, 'Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched 
and wash your feet/ It is not in that Robert. Abra- 
ham had the angels wash their own feet." 

"Get Genesis, 19:2." 

1 'Turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house 
and tarry all night, and wash your feet.' The lan- 
guage here is the same as in the other verse. Neither 
Lot nor Abraham offered to wash the feet of the angels. 
If it was a Jewish custom they certainly would have 
performed it for angels. What is the next reference, 
Robert?" 

"Genesis 24:32." 

" 'And the man came into the house, and he un- 
girded his camels and gave straw and provender for 
the camels and water to wash his feet and the men's 



in Finding a Church Home 91 

feet that were with him/ The same old story, Robert." 

"Surely I can not be mistaken," said Robert. "Now 
get Genesis 43 '.24." 

"Here you have it: 'And the man brought the 
men into Joseph's house and gave them water and 
they washed their feet. " 

"Get Exodus 30:19." 

" 'And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands 
and their feet thereat/ This refers to a custom of the 
priests/ , 

"See what Judges 19 :2i is." 

"Just about as before, Robert. 'He brought him in- 
to his house, * * and they washed their feet and did 
eat and drink/ " 

"I can't think where I saw that," he said with rather 
a puzzled look. 

"Neither can I, Robert, for it is not in the Bible." 

"But now get II. Samuel 11 :8." 

" 'And David said to Uriah, go down to thy house 
and wash thy feet/ In every instance, Robert, you 
will find the persons washed their own feet." 

Robert had Pastor Lovetruth read the reference in 
Psalm 58:10, also the one from Canticles 5:3, with 
the result only to confirm his disappointment. 

"Now, Robert, we have turned to about nine differ- 
ent references and every one has been a disappoint- 
ment to you. In every instance the persons washed 
their own feet." 

"But isn't there a place somewhere in the Bible 
where a woman washed the feet of a man?" 

"I suppose you refer to I. Samuel 25:41, where 
Abigail offered to wash the feet of David's servants, 



92 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

but never performed the act. It seems providential 
that she did not, as though the Lord foresaw the argu- 
ment that would be produced against one of the ordi- 
nances of his church. And this reference, with the 
others, makes the silence of the Old Testament on 
your would-be Jewish custom strikingly significant. 
The only instance of feet-washing in the Bible where 
one washed the feet of another is the act of the woman 
who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears and wiped 
them with the hair of her head. This you have in the 
7th chapter of Luke. And this act is offset in such a 
way by Jesus that it can not be used as an argument. 
For Jesus' rebuke of Simon, which is found in the 
same chapter, is not given because Simon did not wash 
his Master's feet, but because he gave him no water 
whereby he could wash his own feet. Now., then, 
Robert, where is your Jewish custom? And, Robert, 
even if such a custom did prevail it did not prevent 
Jesus from using it as an ordinance. The Jewish cus- 
tom of breaking bread and blessing the cup was used 
by him in instituting the Lord's Supper, or Commun- 
ion. In fact, the life of Jesus gives a deeper meaning 
to everything it touches. He dignified the lily, the 
fowls of the air, the sheep of the fold, the leaven of the 
meal, the draw net, in fact every legitimate thing is 
lifted to a higher plane by Jesus and his gospel. And 
why should you think it strange that he should lift a 
Jewish custom to the position of a beautiful ordinance, 
although I have already shown you that the Bible 
knows of no such custom.'' 

"That is well enough, Mr. Lovetruth, as far as it 
goes, but you must admit that they wore sandals in 



in Finding a Church Home 93 

Eastern countries and that it was necessary to wash 
their feet often. " 

"Of course, I admit that. I would not deny what 
the Scriptures affirm. But I insist on you stating the 
custom just as the Bible states it. In every instance 
the Jewish custom of the Bible makes the individual 
wash his own feet. But in the ordinance of feet-wash- 
ing they washed one another's feet. There is as much 
difference in the two as climbing a tree and playing 
see-saw. You might just as well say that see-saw 7 ing 
was founded on the boyish sport of climbing trees. 
The two are a parallel. In climbing a tree every 
boy raises his own weight, but in see-sawing they 
raise one another's weight." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, were not the feet of the dis- 
ciples filthy from the street, and did they not need 
washing when Jesus washed them?" 

"The w r ord does not say so. When Peter requested 
the Lord to wash his feet and his hands and his head, 
this is the Lord's reply, 'He that is washed needeth 
not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit. And 
ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should 
betray him ; therefore said he, ye are not all clean/ 
Now everything in the words of Jesus point to the 
fact that the disciples had washed already, and that 
what he was teaching was not the putting away of 
the filth of the body, but an ordinance rich in spirit- 
ual significance." 

"If a man needed his feet washed I would wash 
them for him." 

"I doubt it, Robert. You can find any number 
of people in Ismville whose feet are filthy and need 



94 Robert Woodknaufs Difficulties 

washing. For how many of these have you performed 
the act of feet-washing?" 

"Not any." 

"Now, then, if Jesus washed the feet of the disciples 
because they needed washing and tells you that he has 
given you an example that you should wash one 
another's feet, how do you excuse yourself for your 
disobedience? You are judged out of your own 
mouth. You are untrue and inconsistent in your own 
interpretation of Jesus' act. Your explanation is one 
thing and your conduct quite another. If Jesus meant 
what you say, why don't you obey him? Why don't 
you go about through Ismville and wash the feet of 
those that need washing? The whole chapter shows 
that the act of Jesus was not an act of cleansing, but 
an ordinance of deep significance. Jesus never did 
anything that was not necessary. And it was not nec- 
essary for him to wash the feet of his disciples. They 
were able to wash their own feet. He never did for 
them what they could do for themselves. At the rais- 
ing of Lazarus the people could take away the stone, 
take off the grave clothes and set meat before him 
who was raised to life and Jesus had them do it. But 
at his resurrection he had the angels roll away the 
stone because the women could not do it. To have 
washed the feet of twelve full grown men, whose feet 
needed cleansing, would have encouraged laziness, to 
say the least of it. Robert, have you no higher con- 
ception of the importance attached by Jesus to the last 
moments of his life? Do you really think that the 
Son of God would engage in a meaningless act at the 
very eventide of his life on earth ? Why, Robert, if 



in Finding a Church Home 95 

you knew your death was only a question of a few 
hours, you would spend it in employment of more im- 
portance than that. How dare you say that Jesus 
washed his disciples' feet for cleansing purposes ? Do 
you mean to say that at the very last Jesus turned 
away from his real mission on earth and devoted his 
impaired energies to secular things? Can you con- 
• ceive of the will of the Father, to which he yielded 
when in the throes of Gethsemane's sorrow, as out- 
lining such a course for his last moments on earth? 
I would not be guilty of imputing such a low motive 
to the act of Jesus." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, if it is an ordinance, why is 
it only spoken of in the gospel by John and not in 
the epistles?" 

"How often do you want God to say a thing in 
order for it to be true? Do you believe what Christ 
said to Nicodemus about the new birth ?" 

"Of course I do." 

"Do you believe what he said to the woman at the 
well about the living water ?" 

"Of course, why shouldn't I?" 

"Do you believe what he said about himself as the 
Bread of Life and the Good Shepherd ?" 

"Fd be a heathen if I did not. Why do you ask me 
such strange questions?" 

"I refer to them because they are only mentioned 
once in the Bible and that in the gospel by John, the 
same gospel in which we find the reference to feet- 
washing. If you intend to cut out of the Bible every- 
thing that is mentioned but once you will have a big 



g6 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

undertaking and after you get through you will have 
a very small Bible." 

"But isn't the Communion mentioned in the gospels 
.and also in Corinthians?" 

"True, but if you study the reference to the Com- 
munion in first Corinthians, nth chapter, you will 
find that it is only by way of correction, otherwise 
there would be no reference at all to it outside of the 
gospels. The amount that is said on a subject in the 
Bible is not as strong an argument as what is said. 
In the Congress of the United States little or noth- 
ing has been said about slavery since the sixties and 
yet at every session of Congress lengthy discussions 
are indulged in on the tariff question. Do we under- 
stand that the tariff question is greater than the slavery 
question? By no means. There is no occasion 
to say anything on the slavery question now. The 
13th amendment settled the question of slavery or 
involuntary servitude. But if that amendment were 
ignored we would soon hear from Congress just as 
the Corinthians heard from Paul when they profaned 
the Lord's Supper. And, moreover, Robert, you will 
find a reference to the washing of the saints' feet out- 
side of the gospels. There is a reference in I. Timothy 
5:10. It speaks of the conditions prescribed for the 
enrollment of widows in the early church. Among 
the conditions, according to the revised version, we 
find: 'If she hath used hospitality to strangers, if she 
hath washed the saints feet: Now, the w r ashing of 
feet could not be an act of hospitality, as it is men- 
tioned apart from the hospitality to be shown to 
strangers. She was to show hospitality to strangers, 



in Finding a Church Home 97 

but to wash the feet of the saints. I am not ignorant 
either that there is an argument or an objection that 
says that the washing of the saints' feet is mentioned 
among good works and therefore could not refer to a 
ceremonial ordinance. Does not Christ speak of bap- 
tism with good works in the great commission and no 
doubt includes the Lord's Supper and feet-washing 
in the 'all things whatsoever I have commanded you.' 
It w r as no small affair to neglect this ordinance in the 
days of the Apostles. Poor widows were cut off from 
temporal help from the church for refusing to wash 
the saints' feet. And how much of the spiritual help of 
Jesus do you suppose we lose when guilty of the same 
neglect? Jesus told Peter, 'If I wash thee not thou 
hast no part with me/ And then some will class this 
ordinance among the non-essentials of religion. There 
is nothing a non-essential that Jesus commands." 

"But, Mr. Lovetruth, did Jesus really command it?" 
"If he did not, then the Bible has no commands. 
The force of the command to wash one another's feet 
rests on the fact that Jesus washed the feet of his dis- 
ciples. In a similar manner he builds the proof of his 
second coming on his ascension, when he says, 'If I 
go away, I will come again/ The evidence of his as- 
cension is the prof or assurance of his second com- 
ing. If the one is a fact then the other is a prophecy. 
And when Jesus says, 'If I your Lord and Master have 
washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's 
feet/ he means to say that the force of the obligation 
for us to wash one another's feet is as great as the 
evidence supporting the fact that he washed the feet 
R W— 7 



98 Robert Woodknottfs Difficulties 

of his disciples. Robert, do you think that Jesus wash- 
ed the feet of his disciples?" 

"Yes, of course, I do. I never disputed that. My 
argument is that it is not obligatory on us." 

"But, Robert, when you admit the one you concede 
the other. If Jesus washed the feet of his disciples 
then we ought to wash one another's feet; if he did 
not, then the authority for its observance has lost much 
of its force. But he did wash the feet of his disciples 
and you have admitted it and that should settle the 
question forever." 

"But Jesus only says we 'ought' to wash one an- 
other's feet. He does not say we must or shall." 

"So you think there is no force in the word 'ought? 7 
Why, Robert, every letter of the word is pregnant 
with obligation. The word ought is the past tense of 
the verb owe. And to owe is the very essence of ob- 
ligation. The use of the word 'ought' in the Bible 
clothes it with a tremendous meaning. The Bible says, 
'We ought to give the more earnest heed to the things 
which we have heard, lest at any time we should let 
them slip/ Is it our choice, then, to do as we please 
in the matter? Shall we accept it as our privilege to 
use our liberty with the things which we have heard? 
The Bible says, 'We ought not to think the Godhead 
is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art, and 
man's device.' Shall we think of the high and lofty 
One that inhabiteth eternity with no larger conception 
than that which the pagan has of his idols and be 
blameless in his sight ? Shall we think of the Invisible 
One as the heathen does of his gods and not be guilty 
of sin? Yet he only forbids these things with an 



in Finding a Church Home 99 

'ought/ The Bible says, 'Men ought always to pray 
and not to faint/ Shall we do as we please about pray- 
ing? Does the word 'ought' not make prayer a part 
of the believer's duty? The Bible says, 'We "ought" 
to obey God rather than man/ Shall we use our 
liberty as to whom we shall render obedience? We 
might as well have no Bible at all if we intend to pay 
no heed to its commands. In the parable of the 
talents* we see the importance Jesus attaches to the 
word 'ought' when he deals with those who ignore its 
obligation. The man that received the one talent 
buried it in the ground, with the lame excuse that he 
feared the Lord because of his exacting nature. The 
Lord silenced his excuse by showing him that what 
he used as an excuse was the very strongest reason for 
faithfulness, and clinched his statements with these 
words : 'Thou oughtesi therefore to have put my 
money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I 
should have received mine own with usury/ And be- 
cause he did not do what he 'oughf to have done he 
was cast as an unprofitable servant into outer darkness. 
Now, Robert, if you can evade this plain duty, then the 
Bible has no duty for you." 

"You are making that a little strong, Mr. Lt>ve- 
truth." 

"Robert, allow me to read a sketch from Mr. Cook's 
'Monday Lectures/ " Mr. Lovetruth got the work 
and read : 

Take the single syllable ought, and weigh it, my surprising 
sceptical friends, and do so according to the sternest rules of 
the scientific methods. How are we to ascertain what this 

•Matt. 2$:i4-$Q. 

LsfC- 



too Robert Woodknoiifs Difficulties 

word weighs, unless it be by experiment? What experiment 
shall we try with it, if it be not that of weighing over against 
it something very heavy. What shall we weigh against the 
one word 'ought T Here is a soldier with an empty sleeve. 
There was a day when the question arose, whether he ought 
to go to the front in the war. He had to maintain father and 
mother ; and the word home is supposed to be a very weighty 
one. Heavier than the word father or mother is the word 
wife. He weighed that word and the others with it against 
the one word ought ; and father and mother and wife went up 
in the scale, and ought went down and he w T ent to the front. 
Is ought scientifically known to weigh anything? Here is an- 
other soldier who had father, mother, wife, and children, to 
weigh against that insignificant syllable, and he weighed them, 
in the mornings, and the noon, in both the sacred twilights, as 
they say in India — and in the midnights. Father, mother, 
wife and children were words to which he allowed their 
weight. He was the only support of his family, but the one 
word ought again and again carried up the weight of these 
weightiest contradicting syllables. What if this soldier and 
that could have put into the left-hand scale all that men value 
in wealth and honor or reputation? I will not suppose the 
word honor to have any other meaning than reputation, for 
I cannot weigh ought against ought; and a man ought to 
maintain his honor. We must not be so unscientific as to 
weigh a thing against itself. But we put in here, outward 
standing among men, and wealth, and life. If you please, 
sum up the globes as so much silver and the sun as so much 
gold, and cast the hosts of heaven as diamonds om. a neck- 
lace, into one scale, and if there is not in it any part of the 
word ought — if ought is absent in the one scale, and present in 
the other — up will go your scale laden with the universe, as a 
crackling paper scroll is carried aloft in a conflagration as- 
cending toward the stars. Is it not both a curious and an ap- 
palling fact, this weight of the word ought — and yet a fact 
absolutely undeniable? Where is the materialist or the pan- 
theist who dares assert that I am making this syllable too 
heavy? You may weigh against that word everything but 



in Finding a Church Home 101 

God, and it will outweigh all but himself. I cannot imagine 
God weighed against ought. Precisely here is the explanation 
of a mystery. God is in the word ought, and therefore it out- 
weighs all but God. 

"That is beautiful, Mr. Lovetruth, beyond doubt, 
but when the Lord gives a command he generally en- 
forces it with the word shall, does he not?" 

"Shall is the tazo term for obligation and is used 
almost exclusively in the Old Testament. It genders 
fear. Under grace we are led by love. Robert, you 
observe the Communion and not one place in all the 
New Testament is it commanded. The Bible does 
say, referring to the Communion, 'As oft as ye do this, 
ye do show forth the Lord's death until he come.' But 
there is no command in that. Nor should he need to 
command us to commemorate an act in which we 
have an expression of the culmination of his love for 
a world of sinners." 

"Then you admit, Mr. Lovetruth, that the duty to 
wash one another's feet is not enforced by any term 
as strong as the word shall, which you call a law- 
term ?" 

"No, I do not admit anything of the kind. I have 
said nothing, I hope, that has given place to such an 
inference. I only attempted to show that the children 
of God should be constrained by love and not fear. 
It is a shame to the Christianity of the age that it is 
necessary for our Lord to use law terms to enforce 
obedience to duties under grace." 

"Where does he use a law term, Mr. Lovetruth, in 
enforcing feet-washing?" 

"After Jesus washed the feet of his disciples he 



102 Robert Woodknouis Difficulties 

said, 'I have given you an example that ye should do 
as I have done to you/ Where can you get a stronger 
term than the word should? 'Should' is an auxiliarv 
verb and is the past tense of the verb shall, and in force 
of obligation is equivalent to it. Robert, I challenge 
you to find any duty enforced by stronger language 
than that." 

"Why is it, then that so many look upon feet-wash- 
ing as impolite and foolish ?" 

"That is a strange question, Robert. Do you think 
that I have time to solve the philosophy of every phase 
of disobedience and unbelief? I don't know why they 
should look upon it as impolite, except it be because 
of the nature of its observance. Those same people 
never think it impolite to go to the seashore and walk 
the beach among the promiscuous multitude dressed in 
bathing suits. When it is for pleasure they never think 
of their modesty. I despise such mock modesty. If 
the ordinance called for the washing of the saints' 
hands every body of believers in Christendom would 
observe it." 

"I have no doubt of that, Mr. Lovetruth." 

"Then you mean to say that the arguments in favor 
of feet-washing would be sufficient to establish an ordi- 
nance, providing the observance of the ordinance did 
not require the crucifixion of the flesh in any form? 
In other words, you acknowledge that the claim of 
Jesus on your life touching these things is sufficient, 
but admit that the tendencies in your nature to dis- 
obedience are greater. Shame on such confession. 
But, Robert, what do you mean by speaking of the 
ordinance as being 'foolish?' Is Testis a fool?" 



in Finding a Church Home 103 

"Why, it seems both strange and useless to wash 
one another's feet, if it is not for cleansing purposes." 

"Why don't you think it strange to eat bread in the 
Communion when you are not hungry? It is just as 
odd to eat bread when not hungry as to wash feet 
when they are not filthy. Have I not been telling you 
all along that, like baptism and the Communion, feet- 
washing is an ordinance with a spiritual significance. 
Moreover, Robert, w r hen Jesus washed his disciples' 
feet he did it as an example. What is an example, if it 
is not to be followed? Suppose a farmer should hire 
a set of men to reap and gather his grain. The farmer 
enters the field and sets his servants an example by cut- 
ting a quantity of grain, binding it in sheaves and 
placing it in shocks. When he has set the example he 
says, 'I have given you art example that ye should 
do as I have done.' The farmer leaves the servants. 
The servants begin to reason, 'If we only feel to do, 
if we are humble enough, if we are willing to do what 
our employer has told us he will take the will and our 
humble feeling for the deed/ And so they go for the 
shade of some tree. When the farmer returns he finds 
the grain still standing in the field. Would the reason- 
ing of the servants meet the approbation of the farmer ? 
Would he reward them for their disobedience? And 
what would you think if one of the chief servants 
should not only refuse to follow the master's example, 
but turn and cut open and scatter the sheaves bound 
and shocked by the farmer? Yet, Robert, that is what 
some ministers are doing. They not only refuse to fol- 
low the Lord's example in the washing of the disciples' 
feet, but virtually mutiliate the record of Christ's ex- 



104 Robert WoodknovJs Difficulties 

ample in the most horrible form. Jehudi has not been 
the only man who used the pen knife on the Bible. 
There is no duty in the Bible taught so strongly. Jesus 
commands it. Jesus gives us his example for it. Jesus 
promises us a blesisng if we observe it. If Pedobap- 
tists could furnish arguments half as strong for the 
sprinkling of infants I should forever close my lips 
against the practice. There is no command for the 
sprinkling of infants. There is not the example of 
Jesus for it. There is no promise for those who prac- 
tice it. Yet thousands advocate it and ignore an ordi- 
nance that is clothed with every conceivable evidence 
of obligation. Where did you get your arguments 
against the ordinance of feet-washing?" 

"Some are my own and some I got through Dr. 
Augsberg." 

"What authority has Dr. Augsberg for teaching 
people to disobey the commands of Jesus? His com- 
mission must differ from mine. My commission com- 
mands me to 'teach them to observe all things.' Do 
you know what the Bible has to say on Dr. Augsberg's 
conduct?" 

"No, what does it say?" 

"It says, 'Whosoever therefore shall break one of 
these least commandments and shall teach men so, he 
shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.' 
In these words we have the penalty for the minister 
who not only breaks the commandments of Jesus but 
who, in addition to his own transgression, teaches 
others a course of disobedience also." 

"Is disobedience such a grave offense?" 

"Grave! I should think so. It is as the sin of witch- 



in Finding a Church Home 105 

craft. There was a prophet* once sent from Judah 
to Bethel to cry against the sacrifices of Jereboam. 
He was told by the Lord not to eat or drink while in 
Bethel and after his mission was performed to return 
by a different way. Jereboam tempted him to dis- 
obedience, but he consented not. His reason was, 'So 
it was charged me by the word of the Lord! On his 
way back he was followed by an old prophet of Bethel 
who entreated him to go back and eat bread. Again 
he refused, giving as his reason the word of the Lord. 
Then the old prophet of Bethel forged a lie and said, 
'I am a prophet also, as thou art and an angel spake 
unto me, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine 
house that he may eat bread and drink w T ater/ He 
hesitated. 'Shall I accept the alleged message of the 
angel, as delivered by the prophet of Bethel, or shall I 
take the message of the word of the Lord?' The dif- 
ference seemed small indeed. He yielded. It cost him 
his life. He had not gone far on his way back until a 
lion met him and slew him. I think Paul had this in 
mind when he wrote to the Galatians who had taken 
to another gospel, 'But though we or an angel from 
heaven preach any other gospel unto you than that 
which we have preached unto you, let him be ac- 
cursed/ And to make it more emphatic he adds, 'As 
we said before, so say I now again. If any man preach 
any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, 
let him be accursed/ It is a dangerous thing to take 
even the word of angels in preference to the word of 
God, how much more dangerous to take the word of 
man. You may take the words of Dr. Augsberg, but 

*I. Kings 13. 



io6 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

I will take the word of the Lord. It is the man who 
hears the sayings of Jesus and does them that is likened 
to the man who built his house upon a rock." 

"Then you expect every member of the church to 
comply with the ordinance of feet- washing?" 

"Most certainly, Robert. If they do not they dis- 
obey on their own responsibility. • Why should I ex- 
pect anything less than this when the Lord lays the 
duty upon us in such plain, convincing terms?" 

"If that is your position, Mr. Lovetruth, you need 
no longer consider me a prospective member of your 
church. I have too much manly pride and inde- 
pendence to stoop to an ordinance so low." 

"What! will you cease your present course? Shall 
these pleasant conferences come to an abrupt ending? 
Will you draw back to your old ways?" 

"In that many words, that is what I mean to do." 

"I'm sorry for you, Robert. One of two things, 
young man, must be true : You are either right in this 
matter or else I am right. If I am right you are wrong, 
and if I am wrong you are right. And, Robert, if 
you think me to be in error, will you fervently pray 
for me that I may be led from my erroneous ideas 
into the true light of the gospel of Jesus. Life is too 
serious and eternity filled with too many certainties 
to pass our days in open and defiant indifference to the 
commands of Jesus. It will never pay to be in error. 
I know I shall pray for you. I feel that you need 
to be prayed for." 

Robert made no reply. He was more than right- 
eously indignant. He took his hat and with little cere- 
mony departed. It was a most unhappy ending of a 



in Finding a Church Home 107 

day which promised to be filled with the most precious 
memories for Pastor Lovetruth. For the first time in 
his life Pastor Lovetruth experienced something of the 
feeling of Jesus when he said to his disciples as they 
turned away from him, "Will ye also go away?" 

Fully an hour was spent by Pastor Lovetruth on his 
knees that night, asking the Lord to lead Robert to 
something that would show him the error of his way. 




CHAPTER VI. 

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them/* — John 13:17. 

DEEP down in the heart of Pastor Lovetruth 
there was a consciousness that the time spent 
with Robert Woodknow had not lost its 
sweetness on the desert air. "How can I give him 
up ?" came the wailing cry from the great depths of a 
heart that longed for the good of all men. As by 
inspiration or presentiment he believed Robert would 
come back again. His wife laughed at the idea. "He 
is one of those worthless beats, who go from place to 
place and betray the confidence of all who place any 
faith in them/' she said. But Pastor Lovetruth would 
not yield in his convictions. So strong was his faith 
that he spurned an invitation to take tea Monday even- 
ing with Mr. and Mrs. Worldcare. He knew it would 
mean the spending of the evening with them. He ex- 
pected Robert Woodknow back Monday evening. And 
sure enough, Robert, prodigal like, made his appear- 
ance at the parsonage Monday evening. 

"Mr. Lovetruth," said Robert as he stepped inside 
the door, "I came to apologize for my rude, unchris- 
tian conduct last night. I have come to the crisis of 
my life. I went home last night and as is my custom, 
I read a chapter of the Bible before retiring. I chanced 
to open my Bible at the 19th chapter of Matthew and 
read from the 16th verse to the close of the chapter. 
It was about the young ruler. I noted carefully the 
conditions laid down by Christ. They were sweeping 
in their application. The young ruler seemed to stag- 
ger under their demands. He wanted eternal life, but 



in Finding a Church Home 109 

he desired to get it some other way than by the cross. 
He was not ready to pay the cost. The pride of his 
heart and his love for the world rebelled against the 
conditions. He went away and that forever. I saw 
as in a mirror my own mistake. I found that it was a 
dangerous thing to stand out against the will of Christ. 
I felt, as never before, that in the next world I should 
like to be with those who w r ashed the saints' feet. I 
believed that it would add to my reward. But the 
pride of my wicked heart rebels. I find that the offense 
of the cross has not ceased. " 

"So, Robert, you are afraid of the scoffs of the 
world. You would like to live the life of the dis- 
obedient here and reap the reward of the faithful in 
the next world. You are very much like the Sunday- 
school scholar who, when asked which he would like 
to be, the rich man or Lazarus, replied, 'I would like 
to be the rich man in this world and Lazarus in the 
next.' You want to frolic with the world on earth and 
rejoice with the church in heaven; you want to sow to 
the flesh and reap to the spirit ; you want to serve 
Mammon in this life and God in the next. This is 
impossible. If we would reign with Christ we must 
suffer with him ; if w r e would be exalted then we 
must humble ourselves now. Your choice in this 
world will determine your place in the next. Moses 
chose to suffer affliction with the people of God because 
he had respect unto the recompence of reward. I was 
pained last night to see you go away as you did, but 
I had not given you up. If ever I prayed for an in- 
dividual it was for you." 



no Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

"And, Mr. Lovetruth, your request for my prayers 
as I left last night fairly killed me. I remembered too 
your prayer at the ordinance meeting for those who 
neglected to follow Jesus in feet-w r ashing. I saw then 
for the first that those who neglected the ordinance 
were really suitable subjects for prayer. They stood 
in need of prayer. But how could I pray for the Lord 
to lead you away from the plain teachings of his w r ord ? 
It would have been sin. Nor did I ever hear my pas- 
tor, Dr. Augsberg, pray for you as deluded and dan- 
gerously in error. He did not dare make such a 
thought the burden of his prayer. He could speak 
against it from the pulpit and ridicule it in private 
conversation, but he did not dare to pray against it. 
It would have been but a step from blasphemy. Bur 
I thought to myself, how Christ-like that prayer of 
yours which was offered in behalf of those who ignored 
the ordinance/' 

"In making a request for your prayers last night 
it was with a purpose. I believed that it would put 
you to thinking. I knew that if you once saw your 
course in the light of the mercy-seat you would see 
how sinful it was. And it would be a good thing if 
Dr. Augsberg would reread his commission while on 
his knees. He evidently has forgotten that it says, 
'Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you.' Let me read for you a clipping from 
the pen of Bishop Ryle." 

"You seem to have a large stock of clippings, Mr. 
Lovetruth." 

"I have. I read a great deal and then try to hold 



in Finding a Church Home in 

fast to that which is good. The clipping I wish to read 
now is Bishop Ryle's comments on Xaying aside the 
commandments, ye hold the traditions of men/ 'Full 
well ye reject the commandments of God, that ye may 
keep your own traditions.' 'Making the word of God 
©f none effect through your traditions.' r ' 

The first step of the Pharisees was to add their traditions 
to the Scriptures, as useful supplements. The second was 
to place them on a level with the word of God, and give them 
equal authority. The last was to honor them above the 
Scripture, and to degrade Scripture from its lawful position* 
This was the state of things which our Lord found when he 
was upon earth. Practically the traditions of man were 
everything, and the word of God was nothing at all. 

It is a mournful fact, that Christians have far too often 
walked in the steps of the Pharisees in this matter. The very 
same process has taken place over and over again. The very 
same consequences have resulted. Religious observances of 
man's invention have been pressed on the acceptance of Chris- 
tians — observances to all appearances useful, and at all events 
well-meant, but observances nowhere commanded in the word 
of God. These very observances have by and by been en- 
joined with more vigor than God's own commandments, and 
defended with more zeal than the authority of God's own 
-word. Let us draw a broad line of distinction between those 
things in religion which have been devised by man, and those 
which are plainly commanded in God's word. What God 
commands is necessary to salvation. What man commands 
is not. What man devises may be useful and expedient for 
the times; but salvation does not hinge on obedience to it. 
What God requires is essential to life eternal. He that will- 
fully disobeys it ruins his own soul. 

"Bishop Ryle writes well, but his application of the 
truths he writes is entirely too limited. Why does he 



112 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

not apply those truths to the question of a church title, 
to the ordinance of baptism and the ordinance of feet- 
washing? Why not let him, whose word is forever 
settled in heaven, settle every question by his word 
on earth ? Robert, we must accept God's absolute cer- 
tainties in preference to man's faulty uncertainties, Je- 
hovah's unchangeable truth rather than man's erron- 
eous innovations, the Lord's inflexible law before man's 
dangerous traditions." 

"But would the ordinance of feet-washing not make 
the church extremely unpopular?" 

"No doubt but that it would. Its danger to-day is 
in its popularity. The tendency of our times is to 
multiply the attractions of Christianity. Those ele- 
ments in doctrine, in worship, and in life which serve 
most strongly to win men's interest are sought with 
<ever-increasing diligence. Never does it occur to us 
that Christianity may be made too attractive for her 
own safety. Nature is an austre teacher on this point. 
She has given to the rose its exquisite fragrance ; but 
she has also armed it with thorns, so that, while the 
delicious odors allure, these little sentinels stand guard, 
with their drawn bayonets, to defend the flower, which 
is endangered by its very beauty and sweetness. The 
church has too much loveliness and excellence to be 
trusted on earth without defense. Hypocrites will 
appropriate her beautiful garments ; covetous men will 
make gain of her godliness ; pleasure-seekers will turn 
the grace of God which she offers into lasciviousness ; 
and the avaricious will make merchandise out of her 
pearl of great price, — unless her outward attractiveness 



in Finding a Church Home 113 

is guarded by some counter-defenses. Her honor must 
be walled about with humility ; her graces hedged with 
self-denial ; her gifts must be compassed about with 
crosses and her triumphs crowned with thorns. Such 
was the lesson of the judgment that fell upon Amanias 
and Sapphira. The church was just entering upon her 
first conquest. The gospel was preached with a free- 
ness and breadth of offer unheard of before. Three 
thousand souls were added to the church in a single 
day. The tide of success was rising higher and higher. 
The followers of the Xazarene were fairly becoming 
popular. Multitudes were crowding up to lay their 
gifts at the Apostles' feet. There was danger that the 
infant church might be overwhelmed in the tide of 
her own prosperity. But look ! Like a keen lightning 
flash the judgment of God fell and two who "had 
agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord' lay dead at the 
Apostles' feet. Robert, we are living in a time when 
men are bent on making a luxury of religion. They 
demand that our doctrine shall be pleasant, our wor- 
ship refined, and artistic, our ordinances beautiful and 
alluring. No bitter herbs must be upon our table 
as we keep the feast ; no heavy crosses must be laid 
upon the shoulders as we follow Christ. Shall we 
yield to their tastes and fancies, or shall we stand also 
for those harsher demands of Christianity? What if 
men complain of our austerity? What if they are re- 
pelled by our simplicity and plainness of worship? 
What if we make a discord with their tastes? We 
must put the nail through those refinements that so 
often cover the significance of the solemn ordinances 
R W— 8 



H4 Robert Woodknozv's Difficulties 

of his house. We must press the thorns into that in- 
tellectual pride which would soften the force of God's 
commands and so bring into captivity every thought 
to the obedience of Christ. Christendom was purest 
when it was most unpopular. In the history of the 
seven churches of Asia, as found in the first part of 
Revelation, we find the churches which lived nearest 
their Lord to be poor and persecuted and despised. 
Those which lived farthest from their Lord were rich, 
had plenty and were popular. The church has no 
promise of earthly glory on this side of the resurrec- 
tion. And it would mean a revival of a better and 
purer type of religion if the ambassadors of Christ 
everywhere would enforce these plain duties upon the 
consciences of the children of God. Many would be 
repelled, it is true, but the true Bride would be brought 
into a closer embrace with her Beloved." 

"But Mr. Lovetruth, what truths are covered up by 
the setting aside of this ordinance ? What is its spirit- 
ual significance?" 

"It has several meanings, Robert. It may signify 
the casting out of Judas. Judas was with Jesus until 
after he instituted the ordinance of feet-washing. He 
was one of the twelve. But it was only a few moments 
after Jesus said, 'Ye ought also to wash one another's 
feet' that Judas went out and was numbered no more 
with them. 'He went to his own place/ the Scriptures 
say. It is a question whether he remained long enough 
to participate in the Lord's Supper, which ordinance 
Jesus instituted soon after the ordinance of feet-wash- 
ing. Feet-washing served as a kind of a sifting pro- 
cess for Judas. It has the same effect now. Hun- 



in Finding a Church Home 115 

dreds and hundreds, who are moved more by commer- 
cial or mercenary consideration than the glory of 
God, have turned away from the fellowship of the 
churches of God and united with bodies of Christians 
in which there are no ordinances to crucify their carnal 
feelings and appetites. The ordinance would still by a 
kind of a natural process sift the church of hypocrites 
and assign them to their 'own place / The Church loses 
in number by the ordinance, but she is only 
strengthened by her decrease and enlarged by her 
withdrawals. Men and women who are truly sincere 
are not driven away by crosses and self-denials, but 
rather covet those things in which they find an oppor- 
tunity to express their love and loyalty to their Lord. 
Let the Church in general make the ordinance of feet- 
washing a pre-requisite to the observance of the Lord's 
Supper, as Jesus did, and there will be fewer Judases 
to profane the holy emblems and less hypocrites to pol- 
lute her sacred altars.'' 

"Mr. Lovetruth, was that the real purpose of Jesus 
in instituting the ordinance of feet-washing?" 

"Oh no, Robert, the casting out of Judas was only 
incidental. The Lord's Supper and baptism have their 
symbolic meanings, yet they have their additional sig- 
nificances which we may legitimately term incidental 
or secondary. Baptism is an answer of a good con- 
science towards God, as well as a public profession 
of the believers' faith in Christ, but that was not the 
real purpose in the mind of Jesus in instituting the 
ordinance. So with the ordinance of feet-washing. 
One of the chief purports of the ordinance is to set 
forth the humiliation of Christ. Feet, being the lower 



n6 Robert Woodknozzfs Difficulties 

members of the body, are expressive of humility. Paul 
sat at the feet of Gamaliel. The earth is spoken of as 
being the Lord's footstool, which shows the humble 
sphere of our activity. And how effectually Jesus 
weaves the idea of his humiliation into the ordinance 
of feet-washing. The declaration, 'He was come from 
God and went to God/ which tells the story of his 
humiliation in epitome, is immediately followed with 
the statement, 'He riseth from supper * * and began 
to wash the disciples' feet/ Think of it, Robert, he, 
'who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery 
to be equal with God ; but made him of no reputation, 
and took upon him the form of a servant, and was 
made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion 
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient 
unto death, even the death of the cross/ This act of 
Jesus is the mystery of the universe. 'Great is the 
mystery of godliness : God manifest in the flesh/ I 
can not conceive of an animal becoming a plant, or a 
man becoming a beast. They are impossibilities. The 
nearest thing to it that history records is the act of 
Nebuchadnezzar,* who lost his reason for a season and 
ate grass with the oxen 'till his hairs were grown like 
eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.' It was 
a dreadful fall in his nature. And how God became 
man I know not. It is the miracle of the ages. 'The 
word was made flesh and dwelt among us/ We can 
not understand it. 'He was made sin for us who knew 
no sin/ It is the hidden secret of the Godhead. What 
marvellous condescension, Robert! What astounding 

*Daniel 4:32-34. 



in Finding a Church Home 117 

humiliation ! When I read, 'He made himself of no 
reputation' I can not help but associate the little word 
no with the word so in 'God so loved the world/ The 
word so expresses the infinite love of God and the word 
no the infinite humiliation in which that love was ex- 
pressed. But in addition to the humiliation of Christ, 
the ordinance of feet-washing signifies the believers' 
need of daily cleansing from sin." 

"In what way, Mr. Lovetruth?" 

"Why, the Christian life is a journey or pilgrimage, 
and just as the earthly pilgrim's feet become defiled and 
need cleansing often, so the Christian in his contact 
with the world becomes defiled and also needs fre- 
quent cleansing. And feet-washing is the ordinance 
Jesus has instituted to symbolize this fact." 

"You do not mean to say, Mr. Lovetruth, that wash- 
ing one another's feet takes away sin, do you?" 

"Oh, no, Robert. I might just as well say that you 
were literally raised from the dead last Sunday when 
I immersed you. Or I might say that we drink the 
real blood of Christ and eat the real flesh of Christ 
when we observe the Lord's Supper. The physical 
emblems and acts in the observance of the ordinances 
are only intended as symbols of great spiritual truths." 

"And what is the truth or fact, Mr. Lovetruth, that 
feet-washing symbolizes ?" 

"It symbolizes the work of Christ as our Advocate. 
The work of Jesus for the believer did not stop at the 
cross, just as God's work for Israel did not end with 
the killing of the Passover lamb, which saved them 
from death. In their pilgrimage to Canaan they needed 
a priesthood by which their daily transgressions could 



n8 Robert Woodknoufs Difficulties 

be put away. At the cross we were saved from death 
by Christ our Substitute ; now we are daily kept clean 
from sin by Christ our High Priest or Advocate. John 
says, 'Now if any man sin we have an Advocate with 
the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.' Jesus does 
not save us and then leave us to take care of ourselves. 
He 'who loved his own which were in the world, loved 
them unto the end! That love that saved at the cross 
by his death is perpetuated in his life as our Advocate. 
'For if, when we were sinners, we were reconciled to 
God by the death of his Son, much more, being recon- 
ciled, we shall be saved by his life/ So, Robert, that 
love which continues the work begun at the cross in 
keeping the saved clean is symbolized by feet-wash- 
ing. When Jesus told Peter that 'What I do thou 
knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter,' he 
showed beyond all question of doubt that his act in 
washing his disciples' feet had no reference to the 
putting away of fiUh. Had Jesus washed the disciples' 
feet for cleansing purposes, Peter evidently would 
have known the meaning of it. But he did not, for the 
act was intended to teach a spiritual truth." 

"I don't know why, Mr. Lovetruth, but I always 
feel so sinful in going to the Communion." 

"That, Robert, is a common feeling among all be- 
lievers. It is natural that we should feel so. And, 
Robert, have you ever thought of feet-washing as being 
the remedy for that feeling? Speak of preparatory 
services to the Communion. This is the best prepara- 
tory service. This is the biblical preparatory service. 
And this fact alone should determine the order of the 
ordinances. To observe feet-washing after the Com- 



in Finding a Church Home 119 

munion would be without purpose. It would have no 
meaning. It would be without design/' 

''But, Mr. Lovetruth, do some of the churches ob- 
serve feet-washing after the Communion ?" 

"Unfortunately, Robert, I must confess that they 
do. And the difficulty arises from the fact that they 
confuse the Lord's Supper or the Communion with the 
Passover supper. In the 4th verse of the 13th chapter 
of John where it says, k He riseth from supper' and then 
follows with an account of the washing of the saints' 
feet, is the Scripture that causes all the trouble. The 
supper referred to in that verse is the Passover supper, 
and not the Lord's Supper, as some would make it ap- 
pear. The Lord's Supper followed the washing of the 
disciples' feet." 

"I would find no difficulty with that," said Robert. 
"Besides, to observe feet-washing after the Communion 
would be to destroy its force as a preparatory service, 
which to me is one of the most beautiful thoughts you 
have mentioned in connection with the ordinance." 

"And, Robert, we see the same thing in the types 
of the Tabernacle. Aaron and his sons did not dare 
to go into the Tabernacle and commune with the Lord 
or minister at the altar until they had first washed their 
hands and feet" in the great brazen laver. Death was 
the penalty for disobedience. The altar and the victim 
was a type of Christ's death which is symbolized in 
the bread of the Lord's Supper and the Tabernacle 
was a type of Communion which is symbolized by the 
cup of wine. And just as the priest of old dared not 

*Exodus 30:17-21. 



120 Robert Woodknow's Difficulties 

approach the altar of the Lord or enter the Tabernacle 
with unwashed hands and feet, so believers should 
never take the emblem of the Lord's death or drink the 
cup of the Communion until they have first washed 
feet." 

"But why do the churches of God not wash both 
hands and feet as the priests did? And why do they 
wash one another's feet? The priests washed their 
own feet." 

"He w T ill not have us wash our hands, for he would 
teach us that the dispensation of zvorks has passed 
away. And he would not have us wash our own feet, 
to teach us that our cleansing is not of ourselves. 
Robert, I know of nothing in our religion that is more 
beautiful in its symbolic significance than the ordi- 
nances of feet-washing and the Lord's Supper and the 
manner they are joined together. Separate the two 
or reverse the order and you will destroy all their 
beauty and strike out all they would symbolize. Robert, 
is not the ordinance of feet-washing a most gracious 
provision for the sinfulness the believer feels in going 
to the Lord's table ? Many times have I gone to these 
services pressed down with an unworthiness I could 
not express. I felt I needed cleansing before I could 
commune. I engaged in washing one another's feet, 
which was a confession of my sinfulness. And what 
I expressed by faith in symbol in the ordinance of 
feet- washing the Holy Ghost made real to me, just as 
he makes Jesus Christ spiritual meat and drink to us 
when in faith we partake of the emblems of his broken 
body and shed blood." 

"Now, Mr. Lovetruth, in case I should once take 



in Finding a Church Home 121 

part in the washing of the saints' feet, would that not 
do for all time ? You only demand a person to be bap- 
tized once/' 

"Robert, the nature of the ordinances determine the 
manner and frequency of their observance. Let us see 
how clear this is. You say that I demand a person to 
be baptized only once. That is true. The reason is 
this : baptism symbolizes but a single fact. Christ w T as 
buried and raised from the dead but once. We expect 
to be buried and raised from the dead but once. With 
the Communion or Lord's Supper it is different. The 
Communion is to symbolize our spiritual feeding upon 
Christ. This feeding should be frequent, just as it is 
necessary to feed the physical man often to sustain 
physical life. So, then, to observe the Communion but 
once and never after that would be equivalent to saying 
that we believe in having communion or fellowship 
with the Lord but once and no more, and that that must 
suffice to give spiritual strength for every struggle and 
task throughout our entire Christian life. So the na- 
ture of feet-washing determines the manner and fre- 
quency of its observance. Feet-washing, as I told you 
before, symbolizes our need of cleansing from sin. 
This need is frequent. The observance of the ordi- 
nance, therefore, should be frequent. And the person 
who would observe this ordinance once and never after 
that as much as tells the world that he was once 
cleansed from sin and never again needs cleansing. 
I have met persons already that said they never sin- 
ned, but you could hardly make their next door neigh- 
bor believe it." 



122 Robert Woodknoixfs Difficulties 

"Mr. Lovetruth, have the churches of God always 
taught these precious truths?" 

"Yes, Robert, why do you ask me that?" 

"It seems strange that so few have accepted them/' 

"Are you ready to accept them ?" 

"Ready ! I could never be more ready than now. 
I would sin against conscience and better light if I did 
otherwise. My act would place me with that class 
who knew their Lord's will and did it not and were 
beaten with many stripes. If satisfactory to you, Mr. 
Lovetruth, I will be fellowshiped with the church next 
Sunday. These few weeks have meant more to me 
than all the religious instructions of my life. I am a 
changed man. The Lord, the Bible, the church and 
religion never were as much to me before. I can not 
express my gratitude. But just one question which 
has been a query to me. Is there any significance to be 
attached to the fact that last Sunday you only observed 
the Lord's Supper in the evening? Was it because 
some other service interfered with its observance in the 
morning ?" 

"We never observe the Lord's Supper in the morn- 
ing. You never heard of any one eating a supper at 
that time. That would be the Lord's breakfast and 
not the Lord's Supper." 

Pastor Lovetruth and Robert Woodknow were now 

"One in hope and doctrine, 
One in charity." 

Controversy had ceased. Robert had asked his last 
question. His mind was satisfied. And although they 
conversed until quite late not once did their conversa- 
tion take the form of a dispute. 



CHAPTER VII. 

''Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a 
reason of the hope that is in you." — I. Peter 3:15. 

IT was only a few weeks after Robert Woodknow 
was fellowshiped with the church of God, in 
Ismville, that his mother learned of his step. 
Mrs. Woodknow was a member of Dr. Augsberg's 
church. She called on her pastor and informed him 
of her son's course, and begged him to write her son 
with a view of having him recant from his strange 
views. Dr. Augsberg cheerfully consented to Mrs. 
Woodknow's request, as he felt the act of Robert al- 
most as keenly as did his mother. 

On coming home one evening from his work Robert 
found that the postman had left a letter for him. It 
was from Dr. Augsberg. Robert knew the writing. 
"'What can this mean?'' he said to himself as he opened 
it and read the contents. The contents were no great 
surprise. He put the letter aside, fully decided in his 
mind after supper to write a reply. He wrote until 
late that evening, using his Bible freely. The next 
evening he called on Pastor Lovetruth. He had no 
more than gotten inside the door of the parsonage until 
he opened the subject. "I received a letter from Dr. 
Augsberg yesterday/' he said, half impatient for the 
privilege of reading its contents to his new pastor. 
"Dr. Augsberg evidently found out through some 
source of my step in uniting with the church of God." 

"What had he to say about it, Robert ? v 

"I will read the letter to you." 



124 Robert Woodknoztfs Difficulties 

Robert read the letter to Pastor Lovetruth, which 
was as follows : 

WermsvtixE, Pa., September 15, 1902. 
Mr. Robert Woodknow, 
Ismville, Pa. 

Dear Robert: — I learned with deep and sincere regret 
through your dear mother a few days since of your course 
in respect to a church home. Just how you could take such 
a step is an enigma to me. If I thought any one was fully 
established in the faith of our Church it was you. Your 
poor, old mother, dear saint that she is, is nearly prostrated 
over the news. I am filled with grave fears, that if you do 
nor recant that your step will take her to an untimely grave. 

And why, Robert, should you leave our own Church ana 
unite with a body whose numerical strength is only about one- 
fourth as great? Your course, as I see it, is inexcusable. I 
find nothing at all to justify it. It is true that we have no 
congregation in Ismville, yet we have a large following scar- 
tered throughout the town. Several families of my congre- 
gation moved to Ismville inside of the last few months. It 
is only a question of a short time and the Church of the 
Reformation will have an organization there and a churj'a 
edifice that will do credit to a town twice the size of Ism- 
ville. Could you not have waited until then? Moreover, your 
stay in Ismville for any length of time is clothed with much 
uncertainty. 

The more I think of your course (and I think of it often), 
the more unreasonable it appears. I have also been informed 
that you were immersed recently. How could you set aside 
the act by which your mother consecrated you to the Lord? 
How could you brand your baptism in infancy, which meant 
so much to you, as an error? Had you paused but for a mo- 
ment before acting, the folly of your step would have been 
apparent. 

But more strange than these is your course when I con- 
sider that the body of people with whom you united practice 
an ordinance that is shockingly repugnant to refined tastes. 
How can you submit to such a crucifixion of the flesh? 

I do hope, my dear Robert, that you will see the error of 



in Finding a Church Home 125 

your step, reconsider, and come back to your mother Church. 
I wait with much interest an early reply. Sincerely yours, 

James Augsberg. 

"What do you intend to do about it, Robert?" 

"My purpose is to make a reply. I have it written 

now. I wrote it last night. I want to read it to you 

and see what you think of it." 

Robert read his letter. It was this : 

Ismville, Pa., September 23, 1902. 
Rev. James Augsberg, D. D„ 
Wermsville, Pa. 

Dear Doctor: — Your letter of the 15th inst., in which you 
state that my recent step was an "enigma" to you, came duly 
to hand. My change in church relations should be an 
"enigma" to no one. What I did is no more than any other 
conscientious person would have done under the same cir- 
cumstances. Did not Martin Luther break away from the 
papacy? And is his step not a glorious fact in the history 
of Protestantism? Now why should you throw up your 
hands, as it were, in horror when I break away from those 
dregs of the papacy still found in the mother Church? 

Nor am I indifferent as to what you say about my dear 
mother. It is but natural that she should feel as she does. I 
wrote her the other day and explained matters fully, which, 
I think, will pacify her troubled mind. Yet much as I love 
my mother, I have learned this, Doctor, that to be a worthy 
disciple of Jesus I must forsake father and mother, and 
brothers and sisters. The question resolved itself into such 
a form that I had but one of two things to do ; either obey 
my mother and disobey the Lord, or obey the Lord and dis- 
obey my mother. I chose the latter. If you could have heard 
what I did the past few months and weighed it all with an 
unbiased and unprejudiced mind, I should not be surprised 
in the least if you, with your entire large congregation, would 
have done precisely the same as I did. You would have cast 
aside your human church name, your human creed, and your 
human ordinances and would have taken the Bible name for 
the church, the Bible for your creed and would have begun 



126 Robert Woodhwufs Difficulties 

to observe the ordinances in a Bible manner. I was just as 
stubborn in my convictions as anyone, but Mr. Lovetruth's 
arguments were so biblical, so logical and so convincing, that 
at last I saw I was withstanding the will of God in these 
matters and not the reasoning of one of his ministers. I know, 
as never before, what Paul means when he says, "Casting 
down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself 
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity 
every thought to the obedience of Christ/' I find the Bible 
precludes the boasted liberty of some churches to think and 
believe as you please in matters of religion. 

And by the way, Doctor, I just read last week in the book 
of Revelation how the church at Pergamos was praised for 
holding fast the Lord's name and how the church at Phila- 
delphia was commended for not denying his name. Aad 
these two churches, with the other five of the Revelation, you 
always taught was a picture of ihe church between Pentecos! - 
and the Lord's second coming. Now why, I ask, should you 
censure me for throwing oft a sectarian church title and 
taking the Lord's name, the name Church of God? Would 
you have me deny his name when he commends* those who 
deny it not? I am coerced by an array of indisputable facts 
and arguments which I cannot gainsay. 

And why should you rebuke me for taking up with a peo- 
ple who wash one another's feet? As long as you assumed 
the responsibility of your entire congregation for the neglect 
of this very significant ordinance I felt no fears, but when 
Mr. Lovetruth pressed the question upon me as a matter be- 
tween me and my God my sense of right forbid me throwing 
off the responsibility. I could not assume for myself what 
you have assumed for your whole congregation. How can 
you, Doctor, denounce the ordinance as impolite and absurd? 
Have you lost the sense of what constitutes moral obligation 
in these matters ? And how dare you, in the face of the plain 
things said about it by Jesus in the 13th chapter of John, 
ridicule it? Had you taugnt it when I was a member of your 
church, as plainly as the Scriptures teach it, few of us would 
have refused to have followed the example of Jesus in its ob- 
servance. To me the word of God is too sacred to allow me 
to be liberal with i ts claims. Who gave you the license to 
* Revelation 2:13; 3:8. 



in Finding a Church Home 127 

offer such liberty to men in the use of divine truth? Where is 
your commission for teaching men to neglect whatsoever in 
your judgment you deem impolite or absurd? As for me I 
shall choose the path of obedience. It is the only path of safety. 
May I hope, in conclusion, that my words will cause no 
offense. I have written in all sincerity. If I have said any- 
thing that savors of a spirit of unkindness I ask your pardon. 
But I beg you, in Jesus' name, to consider well before you 
again attempt to turn away a trustful soul from the explicit 
teachings of Jesus. Yours for the truth, 

ROEERT WOODKNOW. 

"I am pleased, Robert, to see the strength of con- 
viction you express in your reply to Dr. Augsberg. It 
is a most noble defense of the 'faith once delivered to 
the saints/ I feel quite sure that Dr. Augsberg will 
never tempt you again to turn from the path of full and 
absolute obedience to the commands of Jesus." 

"It is little, Mr. Lovetruth, that I can do, but I mean, 
by God's grace, to be faithful. I find that the promises 
of the word are not to the successful and popular, but 
to the true and faithful." 

The truth in Robert's heart had long been shaded 
by dogmas and beliefs of man's invention, but when It 
was brought under the "true Light, which lighteth 
every man that cometh into the world," it sprang forth 
most gloriously. 

"Truth crushed to earth shall rise again 
And the eternal years of God are hers, 

But error, wounded, writhes in pain, 
And dies amid her worshipers." 



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